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In his book Politicians and Poachers, Charles Gibson analyzes the origins and effects of governmental “institutions” on Zambian wildlife policy. Keeping in mind his definition of what an institution is- it’s origins, what it does, and what it represents- one can apply his analysis to the nature of tourism. When so much of the tourist industry relies on what is seen as “authentic” and how it is determined, it is important to focus on how various institutions shape Western and local thought.
Charles Gibson puts forth a definition of “institutions”, on which he bases his argument about Zambian wildlife policy. He says that, essentially, they are the result of “voluntary exchanges between relatively equal actors who are seeking mutually welfare-enhancing outcomes” . This definition is rather broad; it includes almost any organization with a common goal. However, Gibson narrows this too a more self-serving sense, saying that in addition an institution “features individuals…who seek to…augment their private well-being, not society’s”(Gibson 11). Moreover, they seek to “protect their streams of benefit from uncertainty” (Gibson 11). Therefore, a definition that once included any and all groups of people is now limited to a collection of people who not only seek to further and protect their own gains, but those who do so with only themselves in mind.
Such an institution, according to Gibson’s definition, can prove to be very problematic, especially in a political realm. A leader of any sort, in office through election or use of force, who adheres to this sort of government institution, can do little to no good for their country. Such an institution does not have to stem from an individual; “weaker groups could agree to instit...
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...ups of Kenya are equally valued”. This performance is not meant for foreigners; it is “an ethnic theme park for domestic tourists” (Bruner, Gmelch 209). Those cultural institutions that seem farfetched or overproduced are less likely to be deemed legitimate because they strive not to benefit the community but themselves.
Charles Gibson, in his book Politicians and Poachers, establishes the framework of political and governmental institutions and their role in wildlife policy. However, it is not limited to state action; one can apply his basic definition to social and cultural institutions and their influence on the tourist industry. Because tourism, where people go, and how they spend their money are dependent on the concept of “authenticity”, it is vital that tourist attractions seem genuine, but not to the extent that this legitimacy seems falsified.
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.” (Text p.
This aspect is “The Double-edged Sword of Ecotourism.” In this chapter, Stanford expresses the positives and negatives of ecotourism. Ecotourism is a form of tourism which involves visiting fragile and undisturbed natural areas and in this case, the main reason is to see gorillas. Ecotourism has its good and bad. It is good because those poor communities that live close to the habitats of the apes can have a source of revenue. Those areas are really poor, and with ecotourism, they can earn about $9000 dollars a month. However, those areas may not exactly be the safest. Stanford cites a 1999 cross border attack by rebel groups in Rwanda in which 8 ecotourists were murdered and this attack deterred tourist from going there for many months. Another negative aspect of ecotourism is how it affects the apes. Although, many apes who do live in these areas of habituation and have tourists coming in and out, the apes develop really high stress levels. When humans move too quickly or make loud noises, the apes are stressed out and can flee. Not only that, but increased stress levels lowers their immune systems making them more susceptible to disease. Stanford ends this chapter saying that ecotourism is bound to happen if the countries are too poor to provide for their people and that “the apes will have to live with the results” (190). In
...ny type of government. Its power should never be underestimated since for it has the ability to be used as a weapon of political warfare and determine the magnitude of the sovereignty of a particular government, in other words, it can make or break a social movement.
A longstanding debate in human history is what to do with power and what is the best way to rule. Who should have power, how should one rule, and what its purpose should government serve have always been questions at the fore in civilization, and more than once have sparked controversy and conflict. The essential elements of rule have placed the human need for order and structure against the human desire for freedom, and compromising between the two has never been easy. It is a question that is still considered and argued to this day. However, the argument has not rested solely with military powers or politicians, but philosophers as well. Two prominent voices in this debate are Plato and Machiavelli, both of whom had very different ideas of government's role in the lives of its people. For Plato, the essential service of government is to allow its citizens to live in their proper places and to do the things that they are best at. In short, Plato's government reinforces the need for order while giving the illusion of freedom. On the other hand, Machiavelli proposes that government's primary concern is to remain intact, thereby preserving stability for the people who live under it. The feature that both philosophers share is that they attempt to compromise between stability and freedom, and in the process admit that neither can be totally had.
In Chapter 4 of Political Thinking; the Perennial Questions, Tinder raises the question of whether social order can be maintained without power. The argument of whether humans are estranged or naturally good plays a large part in deciding this question. Tinder hits on two major topics before coming to his ultimate decision. The first is that human nature can be linked to reason as both a cognitive and a moral tool that can be used to live without a specific source of power. In other words, people with a strong sense of morality can suffice without the need of an organized government. It is then argued that the concept of natural occurring interests between a society successfully taps into the fear that social order is spontaneous, disregarding whether people are generally good or bad. The example of free enterprise is given, regarding humans as selfish and materialistic. With this an idea for government to protect property and create stability in currency arose while trying not to encroach on personal freedoms.
Wildlife conservationists are constantly working to supervise the rivers, forest, and other natural resources of Africa in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management. In Kenya, laws against trophy hunting has assisted these conservationists in maintaining wildlife populations. However, park rangers face a huge battle against the illegal poaching of these rare trophy animals, such as lions and elephants. In Asia, the demand for ivory continues to surge, despite the long-time ban on its international trade. The demand is so high that the Tanzanian government has developed plans to construct a commercial highway through the Serengeti in order to more efficiently trade goods with Asia (“The Need for Serengeti Watch”). However, the highway will also provide a faster route to the coast for ivory smugglers. The controversy surrounding the highway and its positive or negative effects on the economy, Tanzania as a whole, and the Serengeti is countless. Despite the debate over its benefits and...
The history of change regarding the varying displays of animals has been gradual yet profound. A clear shift has been evident surrounding the role and nature of a zoo’s position within society. When assessing zoological history it seems that there are three distinct phases. From the early collections where animals were kept and used for religion, hunting and entertainment to the private menageries in which wild animals were contained as a sign of wealth, dominance and privilege and more recently the development of zoos as modern ins...
I first want to describe the problems people have against African hunts that result in the hunters’ identity of a trophy hunter. Then, I will uncover the mysteries on why it is hunters conduct hunts, such as in Africa, on an ethical basis by applying an explanation for their dominionistic values. Finally, by understanding the diverse angles of a hunt that reveal access to the goods that drive the hunter, the reader should come to a conclusion that there is no capacity to depict different kinds of hunters. There is no proper concept of trophy hunting, sport hunting, subsistence hunting.
81% of the Malagasy population scarcely lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day (UNICEF 2013). Yet, Madagascar is one the leading distributors of rich natural resources. From an anthropological perspective, I examine the social inequalities among the Malagasy and their collective ideas about natural resources. Simply put, I identified that locals lack sufficient amount of information, knowledge, and awareness thereby hindering economic development. The national park of Ankarana is a beautiful place with fantastic bio diversity, but is preserving the ecology of a park more important than the occupational opportunities for sapphire mining? The notion of travelling around world; particularly developing countries encourages tourists to bring home the “real” thing. While tour guides take advantage of foreigners, locals are left to bite the dust of ecotourism at their failed attempts at bargaining. Most importantly, how do tiny rocks sold for pennies by locals who are risking their lives become sapphires to be traded, cut, synthesized, and sold into pieces for a couple hundred dollars? The answer lies in market transaction, which is responsible for the transformation of economic value in the sapphire trade of Madagascar. This begs the question, if natural resources are considered so valuable to foreigners, why do people seem to benefit so little from this? The reason is the community of Madagascar lives beneath a global bazaar and as a result, ecology, ecotourism, and market transaction are three key factors protecting the interests of privileged foreigners, while simultaneously marginalizing the Malagasy locals.
6.1.1 Objective: To assess and understand the impact of increasing tourism activities and infrastructure in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve on wildlife.
As societies grow in population size, develop in technological advancements, and increase production through specialisations of labour and trade networks; opportunities for power and control increase. In these societies’ political authorities can come from an individual (in chiefdoms) or from a group of individuals (in a state) (Haviland, et al, 2013:295). There are laws which are made and enforced by the authoritative member/members in these communities and there is social control. This, in some cases, is a disadvantage as it results in less freedom and more conflict, but governments can be an advantage as they can also help maintain social order (Wrong,
“In Botswana, the elephant population has risen from 20,000 in 1981 to over 80,000 [in 2000]. In Zimbabwe, the roughly 30,000 elephants that existed in 1978, have increased their numbers by a factor of nearly 3 by [2000]” (McPherson and Nieswiadomy, 16). These countries have adopted the community-based natural resource management programs (CBNRM), where they can closely manage natural resources and sustain habitats in a manner that promotes equitable access and usage. By implementing this, they were able to monitor the usage of the elephants, in order to prohibit the ruthless killing of the elephant for private profits. In addition, local citizens benefit from the tourism they bring, along with the production of paper and coffee directly from the elephants, in limited amounts due to the property
The wildlife trade is driven by the demand of the consumers. To the traffickers, receiving huge amounts of money for providing a commodity that does not cost them much is a very tempting offer for them, especially for those in desperate need of money. Hence, traffickers tend to hire workers to do the hunting and this is accomplished with the help of organized groups. Those groups specialize in exploiting and trading wildlife creatures (eia-international,2011). In addition, the big organized groups tend to target deprived people of very poor areas, such as people from remote villages. The targeted village people are typically illiterate, thus un-aware of the real price for the hunt or its effect in the ecosystem. Furthermore, some organized groups take over the villages and hold hostages to force the men to work for them. Hunting the animals could get a little dangerous; the hunters tend to hunt at night to escape the eyes of the law. The risk is higher if the creatures are dangerous, huge or even poisonous but the money is not necessarily as high. This trade i...
Eco-tourism causes damage to the environment instead of conserving it. Eco-tourism is considered by most if not all as traveling to natural areas with responsibility in mind which the environment is conserved and the well being of the local people are taken care of as well as being sustainable on an ecological scale with a sole purpose of experiencing natural areas that builds environmental and cultural understanding, positive reception and upkeep (Brown 2011). However, tourism in natural areas cannot be considered and be defined as sustainable ecotourism unless it possesses the basic qualities. First of all, a sustainable ecotourism area must be able create thoughtful and attentiveness towards local environments and cultures. Conservation initiatives must be supported financially as well as empowerment and contribution of locals as a concerted project (Davis 2007). Simply put it, both the environment and the local community benefits from this simple concept. Protection and conservation of the natural landscape is the main goal of ecotourism as well as attracting tourists. It also represents the flow of tourism and economy status of a community (Tory 2010).
Ecotourism and wildlife tourism. The origin of ecotourism have been discussed throughout numerous different pieces of literature that can go back to the 1980’s, this was stated by Orams (1995) meanwhile Higgins later stated (1996) can trace notes back a further decade. The definitions of ecotourism can be linked to sustainable tourism and green tourism (Newsome et al.,2005) the definition of ecotourism includes geology, ecosystems as well as the local community and their cultures, this definition was given by Wallace and Pierce (1996). The purpose of ecotourism is for enjoyment and education in a close to untouched. Ecotourism has many different features such as the impact and management. There are