Contemporary Culture, Use, and Conservation of Sea Turtles
331
opposed to relinquishing control over conservation programs to local people. Given
the mixed treatment of community in the dominant culture of conservation, claims
of projects being community based need to be carefully considered, and research
on the extent of support for conservation among communities is needed.
12.4 CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of this review, three conclusions are highlighted:
1. The ways that culture influences the use and conservation of sea turtles
are varied, and beyond the generalization that culture needs attention,
there are currently few rules to share across regions and peoples. For
example, the common observation that market infiltration undermines
culture and makes use unsustainable is not true in all cases. Further sitespecific research is needed, because the number of research-based assessments of the culture–conservation link are few; many of the authors cited
in this chapter reflect on cultural issues rather than study them. Such
research will serve to improve conservation in specific contexts, and
accumulation of research might yield more generalizable results.
2. The notion that only certain kinds of cultures (indigenous, traditional, or
subsistence) are relevant for sea turtle use is misleading. The importance
of these issues in influencing use, and their relevance in a global economy,
is not entirely clear. For example, insistence that if local people are in the
market they lose any claims to tradition or culture, regardless of how
marginalized they are within a global economic system, is an inaccurate
characterization of culture as static, and may only serve to further impoverish rural peoples in developing countries. Instances of use need to be
assessed on their cultural, social, economic, and environmental impacts,
rather than on the extent to which they fulfill Western notions of what is
traditional.
3. Culture is not only something that influences use and conservation of
marine turtles in some other, more exotic locale. Cultural values are
evident in all uses of marine turtles, and conservation, although often
depicted as value-free, is itself a product of culture. Even the importance
placed on science in conservation policy is a reflection of Western culture
(Pepper, 1984). Recognizing the diversity of cultural relations with sea
turtles and the cultural context of conservation policy may make such
policy more flexible and dynamic, and more acceptable to and appropriate
for the diversity of people living with sea turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author’s research is supported by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Jack Frazier contributed to the intellectual foundations
of this chapter and provided detailed comments on various drafts. Matthew
1123 book.book Page 331 Thursday, November 14, 2002 11:50 AM
331
opposed to relinquishing control over conservation programs to local people. Given
the mixed treatment of community in the dominant culture of conservation, claims
of projects being community based need to be carefully considered, and research
on the extent of support for conservation among communities is needed.
12.4 CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of this review, three conclusions are highlighted:
1. The ways that culture influences the use and conservation of sea turtles
are varied, and beyond the generalization that culture needs attention,
there are currently few rules to share across regions and peoples. For
example, the common observation that market infiltration undermines
culture and makes use unsustainable is not true in all cases. Further sitespecific research is needed, because the number of research-based assessments of the culture–conservation link are few; many of the authors cited
in this chapter reflect on cultural issues rather than study them. Such
research will serve to improve conservation in specific contexts, and
accumulation of research might yield more generalizable results.
2. The notion that only certain kinds of cultures (indigenous, traditional, or
subsistence) are relevant for sea turtle use is misleading. The importance
of these issues in influencing use, and their relevance in a global economy,
is not entirely clear. For example, insistence that if local people are in the
market they lose any claims to tradition or culture, regardless of how
marginalized they are within a global economic system, is an inaccurate
characterization of culture as static, and may only serve to further impoverish rural peoples in developing countries. Instances of use need to be
assessed on their cultural, social, economic, and environmental impacts,
rather than on the extent to which they fulfill Western notions of what is
traditional.
3. Culture is not only something that influences use and conservation of
marine turtles in some other, more exotic locale. Cultural values are
evident in all uses of marine turtles, and conservation, although often
depicted as value-free, is itself a product of culture. Even the importance
placed on science in conservation policy is a reflection of Western culture
(Pepper, 1984). Recognizing the diversity of cultural relations with sea
turtles and the cultural context of conservation policy may make such
policy more flexible and dynamic, and more acceptable to and appropriate
for the diversity of people living with sea turtles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author’s research is supported by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Jack Frazier contributed to the intellectual foundations
of this chapter and provided detailed comments on various drafts. Matthew
1123 book.book Page 331 Thursday, November 14, 2002 11:50 AM