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Degradation Debates and Data Deficiencies: The Mkomazi Game Reserve, Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Dan Brockington  and
Katherine Homewood
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Abstract

The Mkomazi Game Reserve is contested by people who wish to use its resources and by conservationists who have argued that the reserve should be set aside for wildlife. Underpinning the conservationist case is the argument that people are harmful to the reserve's environment. Former residents of the reserve, notably pastoralists, argue that human use of the reserve did not cause its degradation. The debate is characterised by a lack of data extraordinary in view of the assertions made. An earlier paper set out the contrasting views and defined the data that would be needed to test them. This paper assesses what data there are, and whether it is possible to evaluate the extent to which people caused environmental change at Mkomazi. Using physical data and comments about the environment made by observers it is argued that no firm conclusions can be drawn about small-scale change but that there are indications of large-scale resilience. As a result of this uncertainty the article goes on to consider the extent to which there can ever be clarity about environmental change at Mkomazi as a philosophical contention or as a researchable issue.

Résumé

La réserve naturelle de Mkomazi est contestée par ceux qui souhaitent exploiter ses ressources et par les écologistes qui veulent la voir consacrée exclusivement à la faune et à la flore. L'argument sous-jacent des écologistes est que l'homme nuit à l'environnement de la réserve. Des anciens résidents de la réserve, notamment des pasteurs, affirment que l'utilisation de la réserve par l'homme n'a pas entraîné sa dégradation. Le débat se caractérise par un manque de données, ce qui est extraordinaire compte tenu des affirmations présentées. Un article antérieur exposait les avis divergents et défmissait les données nécessaires pour déterminer leur validité. Cet article évalue les données existantes et détermine s'il est possible d'évaluer l'impact de l'homme sur l'environnement à Mkomazi. Se servant des données physiques et des commentaires formulés par des observateurs concernant l'environnement, les auteurs affirment qu'il est impossible de tirer des conclusions fermes quant à un changement à petite échelle, mais observent des signes de résilience à grande échelle. Compte tenu de cette incertitude, ils se demandent s'il pourra un jour se dégager une clarté quant à l'évolution de l'environnement à Mkomazi en tant que différend philosophique ou objet d'étude.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 71 , Issue 3 , August 2001 , pp. 449 - 480
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2001

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