View full metadata
Cite as
-
Full Title (English)
Academicus International Scientific Journal
-
Publisher
Academicus International Scientific Journal
-
ISSN
20793715 (Printed Journal)
23091088 (Online Journal)
-
Journal Volume Number
30
-
Journal Issue Date (YYYY/MM)
2024/07
-
Full Title (English)
Epistemic Justice in Nature Reserves Management: Exploring Intersecting Indigeneity and Politics of Belonging in Dwesa, South Africa
-
By (author)
Affiliation
Collins College of Business, The University of Tulsa, USA, Dr. (PhD)
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1391-9126
-
Number of Pages
20
-
First Page
78
-
Last Page
97
-
Language of text
English
-
Publication Date
2024/07
-
Copyright
2024 Academicus
-
Keywords
environmental conservation - epistemic justice - indigeneity - politics of belonging - Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve - South Africa
Main description
Natural resource management through nature reserves and protected areas has sparked great interest among a variety of stakeholders. Global institutions, as well as national governments and policies, acknowledge the importance of institutionalizing natural resource management to achieve sustainable development goals. However, the literature frequently ignores the consequences of epistemic inequalities caused by stakeholders’ varying indigeneity and politics of belonging. These injustices emerge when stakeholders do not have equal control over resource management and exploitation. This research focuses on two distinct stakeholder groups with opposing views on environment conservation: indigenous peoples and the legally recognized management of Dwesa Nature Reserve in South Africa (referred to as DNR from here onwards). The main aim of this study was to understand how these two sets of stakeholders perceive one another with regards to epistemic disparities, indigeneity, and politics of belonging. This enabled the exploration of the extent to which these perceptions have an impact on DNR management. Data were obtained from 96 community members from four villages located along DNR using focus group discussions. Additionally, one representative from DNR management participated in a key-informant interview offer an ‘official’ perspective. The study revealed significant differences in indigeneity, politics of belonging, and epistemic standings among stakeholders. However, these differences do not inherently lead to epistemic injustice in the management of the DNR, as each group views the other as epistemic outsiders, thus balancing potential unfair treatment. Despite their distinct epistemic and cultural backgrounds, all stakeholders engage in nature conservation through different terminologies and frameworks. The study highlights the intersection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Euro-American Knowledge Systems, demonstrating their interdependence and effective communication within their respective contexts. Both knowledge systems help to achieve the common objective of protecting the DNR. The study also reveals overlaps between stakeholders’ indigeneity and epistemic knowledge, demonstrating that, while their techniques differ, their shared goal is sustainable conservation. The research advocates for more inclusive conservation frameworks that acknowledge and embrace the diverse epistemic contributions of all stakeholders. Addressing social and epistemic disparities can make conservation initiatives in DNR sustainable.
Reference list of
10.7336/academicus.2024.30.06
Unstructured Citation
Akpan, W. (2011). ‘Local’ knowledge, ‘global’ knowledge, ‘development’ knowledge: Finding a new balance in the knowledge power
play. South African Review of Sociology, 42(3), 116-127.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21528586.2011.621244
Unstructured Citation
Antonsich, M. (2010). Searching for belonging–an analytical framework. Geography compass, 4(6), 644-659.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00317.x
Unstructured Citation
Armstrong, C. (2017). Justice and Natural Resources: An Egalitarian Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198702726.001.0001
Unstructured Citation
Baker, S., & Constant, N. L. (2020). Epistemic justice and the integration of local ecological knowledge for marine conservation:
Lessons from the Seychelles. Marine Policy, 117, 103921.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103921
Unstructured Citation
Ballard, K. (2018). Inclusion, paradigms, power and participation. In Towards inclusive schools? (pp. 1-14). Routledge https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429469084-1/inclusion-paradigms-power-participation-keith-ballard
Unstructured Citation
Börner, J., Schulz, D., Wunder, S., & Pfaff, A. (2020). The effectiveness of forest conservation policies and programs. Annual
Review of Resource Economics, 12, 45-64.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-110119-025703
Unstructured Citation
Fay, D. (2008). Property, subjection and protected areas: The ‘restitution’ of Dwesa-Cwebe nature Reserve, South Africa. In The
Rights and Wrongs of Land Restitution (pp. 45-62). Routledge-Cavendish.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203895498-10
Unstructured Citation
Fishel, S., Winter, C. J., & Burke, A. (2021). Between Ecology and Indigeneity. Borderlands Journal, 20(1), 1-10.
https://doi.org/10.21307/borderlands-2021-001
Unstructured Citation
Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. OUP Oxford.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198237907.001.0001
Unstructured Citation
Hoza, D. M. (2012). The Kid Loses to Domination: Environmentality, modern domination and subjecthood in Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion”. The University of Utah. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1033500206?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
Unstructured Citation
Iovan, M. (2014). Eco-Education: A Required Element of Public Policies for Sustainable Social and Economic Development. Academicus
International Scientific Journal, 9, 14-28.
https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2014.09.01
Unstructured Citation
Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed editions.
Unstructured Citation
Klass, A. B. (2020). Eminent Domain Law as Climate Policy. Wis. L. REv., 49.
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3465252
Unstructured Citation
Koontz, T. M., Jager, N. W., & Newig, J. (2020). Assessing collaborative conservation: A case survey of output, outcome, and
impact measures used in the empirical literature. Society & Natural Resources, 33(4), 442-461.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1583397
Unstructured Citation
López-Rivera, A. (2020). Blurring global epistemic boundaries: The emergence of traditional knowledge in environmental governance (No. 25). Global Cooperation Research Papers. https://hdl.handle.net/10419/221737
Unstructured Citation
Mathews, F. (2022). Conservation needs to include a ‘story about feeling’. Biological Conservation, 272, 109668.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109668
Unstructured Citation
McCarthy, C., Shinjo, H., Hoshino, B., & Enkhjargal, E. (2018). Assessing Local Indigenous Knowledge and Information Sources
on Biodiversity, Conservation and Protected Area Management at Khuvsgol Lake National Park, Mongolia. Land, 7(4), 117
https://doi.org/10.3390/land7040117
Unstructured Citation
Medina, J. (2013). The epistemology of resistance: Gender and racial oppression, epistemic injustice, and the social imagination.
Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199929023.001.0001
Unstructured Citation
Miftari, A. (2020). Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Choices Among Short Term Efficiency and Preserving the Future. Academicus
International Scientific Journal, 21, 89-100.
https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2020.21.08
Unstructured Citation
Nyamahono, J. D. (2023). Participation dynamics in the management of protected areas: the case of Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve and its adjacent communities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation, University of Fort Hare). https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/588487734.pdf
Unstructured Citation
Petersmann, M. C. (2021). Contested indigeneity and traditionality in environmental litigation: the politics of expertise
in regional human rights courts. Human Rights Law Review, 21(1), 132-156.
https://doi.org/10.1093/hrlr/ngaa054
Unstructured Citation
Prasad, J. (2024). The Primacy of Politics: Interrogating Indigeneity and Ecology in India. https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/18452/28822/SAC-2023-11-ReviewEssay-Prasad.pdf?sequence=1
Unstructured Citation
Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Unstructured Citation
Sowman, M & Sunde, J. (2018). Social impacts of marine protected areas in South Africa on coastal fishing communities. Ocean
and Coastal Management, 157, 168–179.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.02.013
Unstructured Citation
Al-Mansoori, F., & Hamdan, A. (2023). Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into Environmental Education for Biodiversity Conservation: A Study of Sociocultural Perspectives and Ecological Outcomes. AI, IoT and the Fourth Industrial Revolution Review, 13(7), 61-74. https://scicadence.com/index.php/AI-IoT-REVIEW/article/view/10
Unstructured Citation
Sunde, J. (2014). Customary Governance and Expressions of Living Customary Law at Dwesa-Cwebe: Contributions towards Small-scale Fisheries Governance in South Africa. Doctoral thesis. University of Cape Town. https://open.uct.ac.za/items/a8d696eb-1e1f-46b7-a39e-67b2b73834b6
Unstructured Citation
Tsawu, S. (2022). Traditional authorities and co-management of protected areas in South Africa: the case of Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape. https://open.uct.ac.za/items/79d21964-3302-4caf-a551-a6f2ba90f0c3
Unstructured Citation
Yuval-Davis, N. (2016). Power, Intersectionality and the Politics of Belonging. In: Harcourt, W. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook
of Gender and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, London.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-38273-3_25