**Part 1**

**Models in Biodiversity** 

**1** 

**Towards Bridging Worldviews in** 

**Exploring the Tsonga Concept of** 

**Biodiversity Conservation:** 

*Ntumbuloko* **in South Africa** 

Brandon P. Anthony1, Sylvia Abonyi2, Petra Terblanche3 and Alan Watt1

*Central European University* 

*University of Saskatchewan* 

*1Hungary 2Canada 3South Africa* 

*1Department of Environmental Sciences & Policy,* 

*2Department of Community Health & Epidemiology,* 

*3Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Limpopo Province* 

Many scholars and managers now question the traditional top-down, and often hegemonic, approaches of excluding local participation and ignoring local interests in management of biodiversity both within and outside formal protected areas (Johnston, 1995; Kiss, 1990). Greater participatory planning is believed to enhance local support for biodiversity conservation goals and decrease conflicts between local people and conservation authorities

Efforts worldwide to integrate biodiversity conservation and rural development objectives have had mixed results, indicating that synergies between the two are not inherent, and they are not a panacea (Alpert, 1996; Barrett et al., 2005; Hughes & Flintan, 2001; Newmark & Hough, 2000). We argue here that they must more fully incorporate local worldviews in their design and implementation if they ever hope to succeed. For institutions responsible for conservation, detailed knowledge of the people whose lives are affected by conservation policies can be as important as information about the biodiversity to be conserved (Anthony & Bellinger, 2007; Brechin et al., 2002; Veech, 2003). Moreover, it has been noted that in addition to playing a key role in human-environment interactions (Nietschmann, 1992; Smith, 2001), cultural elements of nature protection can be a resource providing insight into development of conservation plans (Kuriyan, 2002; Stevens, 1997) while also reinforcing community identity and, promoting community cohesion and adaptability (Goodland, 1991; Kleymeyer, 1992; Robinson & Redford, 1994). Thus, recognition and understanding of different local cultural systems permits a broader, more appropriate overall policy toward

**1. Introduction** 

(Happold, 1995; Heinen, 1996; Manfredo et al., 2004).

natural resource use (Maffi, 2004).
