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Sorcery and nature conservation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2017

JOANA SOUSA ,
ANDREW AINSLIE  and
CATHERINE M HILL
JOANA SOUSA*
Affiliation:
Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK Department of Geography and Environment, Geneva School of Social Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
ANDREW AINSLIE
Affiliation:
International Development Research Group, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
CATHERINE M HILL
Affiliation:
Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
*
*Correspondence: Joana Sousa email: [email protected]
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Summary

Representations of animals are diverse and can portray local understandings of nature conservation, information that is often missing from conservation debates. In Cantanhez National Park (southern Guinea-Bissau), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are recognized as animals that share certain features with humans but live independently of them in the forest. However, chimpanzees are also integral to socially mediated, deep-rooted local narratives about sorcery and nature conservation. We use results from ethnographic research to explore local interpretations of chimpanzee attacks on people. Attacks by ‘bush’ chimpanzees occur when an animal is provoked by someone's actions towards it. Unprovoked attacks, however, are either interpreted as the act of a shape-shifted chimpanzee (i.e. a sorcerer) or as the responsibility of conservation stakeholders. In the case of unprovoked attacks, chimpanzee aggression is linked to a perceived abuse of power and to greed, with implications for nature conservation locally. Close analysis of local representations of animals contributes to a broader consideration of conservation priorities and practice.

Keywords

animal representationschimpanzeesGuinea-Bissaunational parktourismwitchcraft
Type
Non-Thematic Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 45 , Issue 1: Thematic section. Humans and Island Environments , March 2018 , pp. 90 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2017 

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