Wildlands for a Living: Local Communities and Protected Areas in the Age of Globalization

Abstract

"The international interest for nature in the South is increasing. The dominating form of regulation for safeguarding the wildlands is the creation of protected areas. Establishing protected areas on land that people have traditionally inhabited or utilized has had and can have extensive consequences for them. The debate about protected areas has been characterized by conflicting viewpoints. One is that protected areas are necessary to ensure unique wildlands. The other position is that creation of protected areas inhibits development, especially for people in and around the protected areas. The central question in this article is how a bridge can be built between the wish to secure the wildlands without having an inhibiting effect on development. The primary focus is on local communities, although I will also include national and international aspects because external initiatives have had extensive consequences locally. I have organized the article in four sections. In the first, general considerations about the interaction between nature and society under the different conditions existing in North and South present the context for some of the basic interests that are significant in the present debate about protected areas and local communities. The second section focuses on the development of protected areas over time. Here, I present an argument for different generations in the practical management of the wildlands. The third section aims to present both the debate and some of the experiences that have been collected in connection with the different generations of protected areas. Finally, I discuss and draw conclusions about some of the central aspects of protected areas and local communities in relation to globalization."