Abstract

Anti-poaching is an important component of the tourism management system for destinations that rely on wildlife as their key attraction. The present paper, broadly grounded in political ecology, explores how social justice tenets are used to frame and implement anti-poaching initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, the study examines the Akashinga model, a Zimbabwean woman-only anti-poaching initiative founded by the Australian conservation activist, Damien Mander. Political ecology lends itself well to the analysis of social justice initiatives as it unpacks how political, economic and social factors interact with environmental issues and changes. Akashinga is particularly compelling as a socially innovative conservation model intended to replace hunting tourism in Sub-Saharan wilderness areas. Data were collected from a rich selection of online sources, including social media and relevant websites. Our analysis reveals Akashinga’s framing and modus operandi as premised three dimensions: community involvement, the empowerment of women, and the superiority of women in achieving anti-poaching success and broader conservation outcomes. It is argued that, while Akashinga makes a positive contribution to the local community and wildlife conservation efforts, there are important caveats to consider, in the context of postcolonial power relations.

摘要

对于以野生动物为主要吸引力的目的地，反偷猎是旅游管理系统的重要组成部分。本文广泛基于政治生态学，探讨了社会正义原则如何用于制定和实施撒哈拉以南非洲的反偷猎计划。特别是，该研究考察了 Akashinga 模型，这是一个由澳大利亚保护活动家 Damien Mander 创立的仅限津巴布韦女性的反偷猎倡议。政治生态学非常适合分析社会正义倡议，因为它揭示了政治、经济和社会因素如何与环境问题和变化相互作用。作为旨在取代撒哈拉以南荒野地区狩猎旅游的社会创新保护模式，Akashinga 特别引人注目。数据是从丰富的在线资源中收集的，包括社交媒体和相关网站。我们的分析揭示了 Akashinga 的框架和作案手法以三个维度为前提：社区参与、妇女赋权以及妇女在取得反偷猎成功和更广泛的保护成果方面的优势。有人认为，虽然 Akashinga 对当地社区和野生动物保护工作做出了积极贡献，但在后殖民权力关系的背景下，有一些重要的警告需要考虑。