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West K, Tecot S, Walker-Bolton AD, Borgerson C, Wright PC, Razafindravony L, Andriamiadanarivo A, Andrianoely D, Celestain J, Elison P, Jordan J, Liu A, Milliasse RF, Rafidimanandray R, Ranaivoson T, Randimbiarimanana C, Razafindrapaoly BN, Soule M, Aliperti JR. An overdue catalyst: Limitations imposed by COVID-19 improved capacity building in community-led environmental education in Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23497. [PMID: 37095739 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus brought many primatology research programs and conservation efforts to a halt. After Madagascar closed its borders during March 2020, many on-site international project leaders and researchers returned to their home countries when their programs were delayed or canceled. Madagascar remained closed to travelers until November 2021, when it reopened to international flights. The 20-month absence of international researchers allowed many local Malagasy program staff, wildlife professionals, and community leaders to step into new leadership roles and responsibilities. Many programs that already had strong Malagasy leadership and meaningful collaborations with local communities flourished, while others either swiftly strengthened these attributes or faced challenges from pandemic-related travel restrictions. Here, we describe how the coronavirus pandemic events of 2020-2021 initiated long-overdue shifts in outdated models of internationally led primate research and education projects in communities living alongside primates at risk of extinction. We discuss the benefits and challenges of pandemic-induced changes within five primatological outreach projects, as well as how we can use these experiences to improve community-led environmental education and conservation awareness in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy West
- Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) 501c3, Davis, California, USA
| | - Stacey Tecot
- Centre ValBio Research Station, Ranomafana, Madagascar
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Cortni Borgerson
- Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) 501c3, Davis, California, USA
- Anthropology, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
- Madagascar Health and Environmental Research (Mahery), Maroantsetra, Madagascar
| | - Patricia C Wright
- Centre ValBio Research Station, Ranomafana, Madagascar
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Pascal Elison
- Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) 501c3, Davis, California, USA
- Masoala Safaris, Maroantsetra, Madagascar
| | - Jessie Jordan
- Centre ValBio Research Station, Ranomafana, Madagascar
| | - Arielle Liu
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Madison Soule
- Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) 501c3, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jaclyn R Aliperti
- Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) 501c3, Davis, California, USA
- Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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Oxley AS, Donati G, Hill CM. What Works and What Doesn’t Work? The Challenges of Doing Effective Applied Conservation Research in Human-Modified Habitats. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00336-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bezanson M, Franquesa-Soler M, Kowalewski M, McNamara A, Oktaviani R, Rodrigues MA. Best practices are never best: Evaluating primate conservation education programs (PCEPs) with a decolonial perspective. Am J Primatol 2022; 85:e23424. [PMID: 35924284 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Who do we aim to educate with primate conservation education programs (PCEPs)? In a commentary published in a recent AJP, Annette Lanjouw suggested that many efforts to "educate" habitat-country communities can be neocolonial in their approaches. Forest destruction and habitat loss are a result of global consumption and expansion. We therefore need to approach conservation education from many angles including local stakeholders, policy makers, government officials, and the humans living in industrialized nations who are major consumers of the items that shrink primate habitats. In this review, we investigate PCEPs to determine if the conservation education goals, education methods, and assessment processes are proceeding within a neocolonial context. We reviewed the last 20 years of primate conservation literature and looked for publications that were focused on education programs. We found that in 50 of 52 publications published between 2001 and 2021, the education programs take place in habitat-country local communities. We also reviewed primate field researcher and field site websites, and in most cases, education programs were also focused on educating local communities living near or in nonhuman primate habitats. Exceptions were student clubs, zoo programs, and a high school outreach program. Many PCEP providers presented a list of "lessons learned" and we compiled their wisdom in combination with our experience to provide a framework for moving forward. We conclude that as conservation primatologists, we must think beyond our field sites to create opportunities for educational outreach. We can reach global consumers by linking to zoos, television/motion picture, print media, social media, and working with schools on curricula. Primatologists can engage our undergraduates to establish clubs and create meaningful assignments that reach beyond the classroom. We encourage primatologists from the Global North to consider their positionality and the history of conservation exclusion in their attempts to conserve primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Bezanson
- Department of Anthropology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California, USA
| | - Montserrat Franquesa-Soler
- Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla, México
| | - Martin Kowalewski
- Estación Biológica Corrientes-Centro de Ecología del Litoral (CECOAL-CONICET-UNNE), Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Allison McNamara
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Michelle A Rodrigues
- Department of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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