Natural resource management and local knowledge in transition : an anthropological perspective from the Laka of Mapela
Loading...
Authors
Eckert, Britta
Issue Date
2000-12
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Natural resource management , Local knowledge , Transition , Values and priorities , Worldview , Laws and ritual prohibitions , Sustainability
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study sets out to analyse the relevance of cultural values and perceptions, which
form the basis of the "local knowledge" of grassroots people, in the natural resource
management of the Laka of Mapela who live in the former Lebowa homeland in the
Northern Province of South Africa. Due to the fact that political transitions affect the
traditional authority system, it further explores the role of traditional leaders regarding
control and decision-making over natural resources as well as the activities of
oppositional groups at local level, and their attitudes towards land tenure issues. Natural
resource management is approached holistically because, in grassroots perceptions,
the natural world does not "stand on its own" and is not dissected into manageable units
but forms part of a wider cosmos which is made up of human beings, nature and the
supernatural. A happy life of people, fertile soils and rich botanical resources are
inseparable from harmony in the cosmos. Misfortune, natural resource degradation and
scarcity are consequently explained with a state of flux, or imbalance, in these cosmic
relationships which have to be restored by people in order to survive. The general
conclusions suggest that these local perceptions of natural resource management
cannot be ignored from the development arena as well as by outside scientists and
practitioners. Rather, in order to develop more progressive approaches for sustainable
management in the former homelands, policies and plans have to be compatible with
the worldview of local people to enhance their acceptance and implementation.
Description
Citation
Eckert, Britta (2000) Natural resource management and local knowledge in transition : an anthropological perspective from the Laka of Mapela, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16731>