Kenya and Sri Lanka are an ocean
apart. But they are also wide apart
from each other in their strategies for
wildlife conservation. While the former
is moving towards involving the community, the latter remains stuck in anti-people conservationist strategies. In
order to protect the world's biodiversity,
the Sri Lankan government, like the
Indian government - talks of solidarity
amongst South Asian official bullies! -
has decided to destroy its own cultural
diversity, which is just as important to
protect as biodiversity.
On November 10, 1983, Sri Lanka
created a new national park, which
made the Wanniya-laeto, also known as
the Veddahs, people who have lived on
the island for over 28,000 years, illegal
citizens in their own land. Till the
Sinhalese arrived, about 2,500 years ago,
the Wanniya-laeto, who now number
only 2,000, were all over the island. The
Committee for Human Rights established by the American Anthropological
Association (AAA) a few months ago, has
sent its first letter of protest to the Sri
Lankan Prime Minister against the
treatment of the Wanniya-laeto people,
who can no longer continue in their traditional ways as forest-dwellers. Says
Wiveca Stegeborn, a graduate student at
Syracuse University, "Over the centuries, the Warmiya-laeto have graduallyretreated and retreated, until now they
have no place to go except this last patch
of jungle that's now been taken away
from them in the name of making it a
game park." The Wanniya-laeto havebeen forced out of the jungle, they havespilt into several far-flung villages,
where they cannot follow their traditional ways. They have become dependent on government welfare or have to
undertake the most menial labour.
For the first time, the AAA is turning
activist and joining other groups to
protest against the executing of the
Ogoni leaders in Nigeria and the seizing
of Yanornami Indian tribal lands in
Brazil and Venezuela by gold miners.
One reason for the new activism
amongst anthropologists is the realisation that the rate of disappearance of
cultures has become a serious problem.
Says one anthropologist at the
University of Washington, "At least a
third of the world's inventory of human
cultures have disappeared completely
since 1500 AD." Many anthropologists
also feel indebted to these threatened
people. As Tom Greaves, chairperson of
the Committee for Human Rights puts
it, "When you live for months in a community, when the success of your field
work depends on the generosity and patience of people who probably didn't
invite you but who took you in any way,
a bond of friendship and mutual obligation results. When they encounter
abuse, we feel a need to act."
Sadly, the Sri Lankan government is
not only mindless and stupid - like
India, if I may add - but is essentially
playing out a game that the West wants
it to play. First, the Europeans came to
inhabit the Americas and indulged in a
brutal cultural massacre. Then in the
20th century, some descendants of these
criminals discovered biodiversity and
wildlife conservation as areas of concern
and began to educate the stupid Third
Worlders on the importance of saving
the tiger even if it meant destroying the
people. These goons got institutions like
World Wide 'Fund for Nature and
numerous others to flourish all over the
world and then backed up the brown
conservationists by sending their Prince
Philips to meet the local Prime Ministers
and Presidents, which, naturally,
impressed them no end. Of course,
these sahibs and their bureaucrats could
not come up with any humane, and culturally and nationally relevant strategy
to save the wildlife and the people on
their own. They could not even think
ahead about how ineffective would their
strategy be in the long run.
Well, at least, that arch conservationist country, Kenya, is learning a
belated lesson. Stung by all the criticism
of Richard Leakey, who arrogantly put
elephants above the Masai and finally
got thrown out for political differences
with President Daniel Arap Moi, the
government has encouraged 840 Masai
families to set up the country's first
community wildlife sanctuary - the
Kimana. Community Wildlife Sanctuary
(KCWS). The KCWS borders the famous
Amboseli National Park and is owned
by the Masai people. All tourist revenue
goes to them. The first week brought a
mere 17 tourists and us $170. Paul L Ole
Nangoro, KCWS chairperson, estimates
that the park must earn us $130,000 in
the first year to win over his, communities doubters. Already, the Masai are changing their attitude towards the
much hated wildlife - lions which kill
their cattle and elephants which destroy
their crops. Two months ago, 40 warriors assembled to kill a pride of lions
that had devoured 15 goats. But
Nangoro and his colleagues convinced
them that it was not a good idea because
of the benefits that the sanctuary would
bring to them over time.
The Community Wildlife Service -
as the Kenyan programme is called -
aims to enroll nomads and farmers in
conservation programmes, for profit to
the local people. In principle, I don't see
any reason why the programme will not
succeed, provided the government
ensures that it is widely publicised so
that tourists throng. Besides, Western
firms heavily dominate Kenyas tourism
industry and these will ultimately be
threatened by the community sanctuaries, The government will thus have to
keep a strict control over the industry. I
am sure the people will play their role,
but whether the government will play its
expected role hilly is still to be seen.
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