The unsustainability of the southern African wildlife economy

Stasja Koot, Lerato Thakholi, Bram Büscher Southern Africa’s wildlife economy is often hailed as a major success and model to be emulated. Using biodiversity and wildlife as the basis for economic growth is seen to both increase wildlife numbers and economic revenue, leading to sustainable economic development. But does it actually do that? A recent…Read more The unsustainability of the southern African wildlife economy

New paper out! Introduction: Fallen from grace? The legacy and state of southern African conservation

Check out my latest paper under Publications. Written together with Lerato Thakholi and Bram Buscher, we scrutinize the historical and current sustainability in southern African conservation, and its role in global biodiversity conservation. It is an Introduction to a special issue in Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, for which we were guest editors…Read more New paper out! Introduction: Fallen from grace? The legacy and state of southern African conservation

Ethics research codes and contracts may oppress vulnerable and Indigenous groups

Codes of conduct and contracts for scientific research should protect vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous peoples, from exploitation and promote their role in research. But with the San in Southern Africa, I have found that they can also backfire and even oppress them. Ethical rules for scientific research are important to prevent research from being…Read more Ethics research codes and contracts may oppress vulnerable and Indigenous groups

Short news piece on my university website about ethical research – codes and contracts

Please find the original article from WUR here: https://www.wur.nl/en/news-wur/show/rules-for-ethical-research-often-dont-work.htm Rules for ethical research often don't work Published on July 19, 2023 Research codes and contracts should protect indigenous and marginalised communities from exploitation and instead encourage their voices to be heard. In practice, however, they can have undesirable effects, argues anthropologist Stasja Koot. Based on…Read more Short news piece on my university website about ethical research – codes and contracts