How Are Protected Areas Perceived Over Time? Evidence from Three Protected Areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Speakers: Fergus O'Leary Simpson, Kristof Titeca and Marijke Verpoorten
How do local populations’ perceptions of protected areas change over time? Using a mixed methods approach, we examine this question across three protected areas in the DRCongo. A series of large-N quantitative surveys revealed a striking trend: people living around all three areas consistently reported the most favourable views of the colonial era, with perceptions declining over time. Is this merely a romanticization of the past, or is there more going on here? To unpack this, we traced the evolution of conservation social contracts using qualitative methods. This meant looking at the degree to which the constraints conservation imposed on peoples were offset by material benefits, such as development and/or access to resources. Historically, relative stability enabled the Congolese state to establish socially ‘thick’ contracts, characterized by less coercive law enforcement and substantial material benefits. Over time, however, the DRC’s political-economic context became increasing unstable, with negative consequences for conservation and people. As state authority eroded and armed conflict intensified, international conservation NGOs stepped in: they reconstituted conservation governance via socially ‘thinner’ arrangements, typically marked by stronger enforcement and diminished compensation. Instability and the resulting thinning of social contracts are what drive decreasingly positive perceptions.