The Imperial Lion

Book excerpt: In the 1950s biologists became alarmed by the plight of Africa’s wildlife. Since then they have sought to arrest its decline, but increasing competition between wild fauna and expanding human populations shows that protection alone has been inadequate. The conservationists’ position and strategies have been progressively eroded: large-scale game cropping schemes have failed to produce expected revenues, the consequences of the tourist industry have been unexpectedly detrimental, and educational programs have rarely convinced rural Africans to conserve resources. Dr. Marks argues that the management and conservation of wild animals in Third World countries must include cultural as well as biological dimensions and that changes in human social systems will be necessary to sustain wildlife and the environmental processes. He describes indigenous attempts to manage wildlife and suggests new research initiatives that would lead to wildlife policies more in keeping with human development needs and with the realities of the rural countryside.