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Exploring the Hidden Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Northern Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2018

Jennifer Bond  and
Kennedy Mkutu
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Abstract:

Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is often considered in terms of how the impact on humans can be mitigated, but in the context of the larger goal of meeting conservation goals. This article explores the hidden costs of HWC on human well-being in northern Kenya through a qualitative case study of Laikipia County. Drawing on narratives of wildlife as destructive, wildlife as inherently more important or valuable than humans, and wildlife preservation as a pathway for capturing resources, it explores the impacts of HWC on human well-being, situating the study within the HWC, political ecology, and human security literature.

Résumé:

Les conflits humains-faune (CHF) sont souvent considérés comme des moyens d’analyser l’impact de la faune sur les humains dans le contexte des objectifs de conservation. Cet article explore les coûts cachés du CHF sur le bien-être humain dans le nord du Kenya grâce à une étude de cas qualitative du comté de Laikipia. Il s’inspire d’une variété de récits sur les CHF—incluant la faune sauvage comme destructrice pour les humains, la faune comme intrinsèquement plus importante que les humains et la chasse comme voie de capture des ressources—pour explorer les impacts du CHF sur la sécurité et le bien-être des humains.

Keywords

Conservationfarmerhuman securityLaikipiapastoralistpolitical ecology
Type
Articles
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 61 , Issue 1 , April 2018 , pp. 33 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2018 

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