GOVERNING HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT: A CRITICAL INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO DECOLONIZING CONSERVATION IN THE CHOBE ENCLAVE OF BOTSWANA

Within the largest population of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) on the continent, Botswana’s Chobe Enclave is a group of agricultural communities bounded by protected areas and an international border. Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a major concern for both Enclave residents and conservation practitioners. This research asked how institutional arrangements shape the governance of HEC in the Chobe Enclave. Previous research has shown that technical solutions to HEC must be complemented by integrating governance across local, national, and international levels to make elephant conservation and management more inclusive of people who live alongside elephants. This research employed a Critical Institutional approach and in-depth interviews with Enclave residents and conservation practitioners to explore how institutional arrangements shaped HEC governance. People in the Chobe Enclave experience HEC, not only because of increasing human and elephant populations, but also as the result of historic policies dating to the colonial era. As a result, Enclave residents experience both the impacts of elephants and conflict with conservation practitioners over the implementation of HEC reduction strategies. These results suggest that conservation practitioners should move from conservation interventions based in communities to those that are led by communities. This research recommends a series of strategies to restore HEC governance to people in the Chobe Enclave

Buffalo Reading List

This reading list gathers together literature focused on buffalo (also known as bison) to support ongoing efforts to restore this iconic species to its keystone cultural and ecological role. The books and articles compiled here are grounded in a wide range of academic disciplines and approaches, representing many distinct ways of thinking about buffalo within the realm of Western sciences. This is not intended to be an exhaustive account of what is known about buffalo, much of which is held in Indigenous knowledge systems and communities. This academic list is designed as a resource for those working towards buffalo restoration, including conservation practitioners, researchers, parks and government officials, and Tribal communities. It is divided into categories according to either discipline or thematic focus, each containing a subset of pertinent literature. Topics include the paleobiology of bison, histories of buffalo loss, relationships between Indigenous Peoples and buffalo, buffalo restoration and reintroduction, buffalo ecology, buffalo and climate change, governance and human dimensions of buffalo, bison and cattle, bison as livestock, and the genetics of bison. This list is intended as a living document to grow with the increasingly rich scholarship on buffalo, and will be updated regularly