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Hybrid Uptakes of Neoliberal Conservation in Namibian Tourism-based Development

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  • Julie A. Silva
  • Nicole Motzer

Abstract

type="main"> Neoliberal conservation schemes involving nature-based tourism are implemented throughout the developing world to address rural poverty. Drawing on socio-economic surveys and in-depth interviews, this article uses the case of Uibasen Conservancy in Namibia to investigate social responses to neoliberal conservation. We find that people's aspirations for upward economic and social mobility lead them to participate in neoliberal conservation projects in an attempt to combine economic opportunities created by nature-based tourism with traditional livelihood strategies. In this case, certain aspects of neoliberal conservation are perceived as a source of hope for non-elites seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency and to ascend social hierarchies. We find that intra-community power struggles dominate discourses of discontent and local-level conflict which consequently masks the disruptive and anomic forces of the global tourism industry. We additionally provide insight into specific social contexts that may increase the allure of neoliberal conservation and explain why marginalized individuals may embrace some neoliberal logics despite — or, perhaps, because of — their disruptive tendencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie A. Silva & Nicole Motzer, 2015. "Hybrid Uptakes of Neoliberal Conservation in Namibian Tourism-based Development," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(1), pages 48-71, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:46:y:2015:i:1:p:48-71
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/dech.12139
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tania Murray Li, 2002. "Local Histories, Global Markets: Cocoa and Class in Upland Sulawesi," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 33(3), pages 415-437, June.
    2. Robert Fletcher, 2012. "Using the Master's Tools? Neoliberal Conservation and the Evasion of Inequality," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 43(1), pages 295-317, January.
    3. Renaud Lapeyre, 2010. "Community-based tourism as a sustainable solution to maximise impacts locally? The Tsiseb Conservancy case, Namibia," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(5), pages 757-772.
    4. Karol Boudreaux & Fred Nelson, 2011. "Community Conservation In Namibia: Empowering The Poor With Property Rights," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 17-24, June.
    5. Murat Arsel & Bram Büscher, 2012. "Nature™ Inc.: Changes and Continuities in Neoliberal Conservation and Market-based Environmental Policy," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 43(1), pages 53-78, January.
    6. Roger Hayter & Trevor J. Barnes, 2012. "Neoliberalization and Its Geographic Limits: Comparative Reflections from Forest Peripheries in the Global North," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 88(2), pages 197-221, April.
    7. Dressler, Wolfram & Roth, Robin, 2011. "The Good, the Bad, and the Contradictory: Neoliberal Conservation Governance in Rural Southeast Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 851-862, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicoli Nattrass, 2021. "Differentiation in Economic Costs and Returns from Living with Wildlife in Namibian Community Conservancies," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 89(2), pages 282-300, June.

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