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Real and Imagined Landscapes: Land Use and Conservation in the Menabe

2006; Medknow; Volume: 4; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

0975-3133

Clare S. Sandy,

Global Maritime and Colonial Histories

Despite conservation efforts, the remaining dry deciduous forests in the Menabe region of western Madagascar are severely threatened by de­forestation. In order to examine the economic and socio-cultural factors un­derlying this problem, this paper uses a landscape approach. The local definitions for types of land, as well as different modes of land use, ownership and economic participation inherent in these definitions are examined. The traditional uses associated with each of these categories highlight important aspects of Sakalava culture, and economic and social structures of rural Me­nabe. The traditional and modern conceptions of the landscape contrast so starkly, that the local people and those tasked with promoting conservation are functioning as in two different realities. This disjunction has serious rami­fications for conservation. Diverse local groups with different ideas about the landscape, and modern influences that run counter to conservation, further complicate the picture of deforestation. In order to be effective, conservation organisations should study the landscapes with their inherent complexities of local culture and economics.