NTEGRATING CULTURAL AND CONSERVATION CONTEXTS OF HUNTING : THE CASE OF THE PLATEAU BATEKE SAVANNAS OF GABON

Abstract

Sustainable hunting is a target of conservation research and action in the Congo Basin. It has been argued that the cultural context must be understood to find solutions. However, the anthropological literature on hunting is separate from the conservation literature on the bushmeat crisis, making it difficult to make links between cultural and subsistence aspects of hunting. Hunting is a cultural subsistence activity in many parts of Central Africa and is linked to wider issues of cosmology, ancestral or nature spirit worship, and land fertility. In many instances, these practices remain despite the modernization of hunting techniques. As such, the place of hunting within the cultural framework is important to hunters with whom conservation organizations work. This study looks at the conservation context and cultural foundations of hunting in the Bateke Plateau landscape of Gabon. Using historical accounts, interviews, and ethnography, we describe the fire drive for the Grimm's duiker (endangered in Gabon), including the physical aspects of setting the fire and organizing the hunting territory, the land chief's role in the fire drive, and the spiritual aspects of hunting including land fertility cults and hunting rituals. Then, the broader conservation context is considered with respect to the Plateau, where illegal hunting is a primary concern and fire management in the national park is a priority.