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Understanding Human-Animal Relations in the Context of Primate Conservation: A Multispecies Ethnographic Approach in North Morocco

Waters, Siân; Bell, Sandra; Setchell, Joanna M.

Understanding Human-Animal Relations in the Context of Primate Conservation: A Multispecies Ethnographic Approach in North Morocco Thumbnail


Authors

Siân Waters



Abstract

Strategies for conserving species threatened with extinction are often driven by ecological data. However, in anthropogenic landscapes, understanding and incorporating local people's perceptions may enhance species conservation. We examine the relationships shepherds, living on the periphery of the mixed oak forest of Bouhachem in northern Morocco, have with animals in the context of a conservation project for Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). We analyse ethnographic data to provide insights into shepherds' conceptions of Barbary macaques and the species which bring the shepherds into the forest - goats (Capra hircus), domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), and the African wolf (Canis lupus lupaster). We interpret these data within the framework of boundary theory. Our multispecies ethnographic approach illuminates the different and, in the case of the domestic dog and the Barbary macaque, complex ways shepherds perceive each species. Some shepherds show intrinsic interest in the macaques, revealing potential recruits to conservation activities. As with any ethnographic study, our interpretations of human-animal relations in Bouhachem may not extrapolate to other areas of the Barbary macaque's distribution because of the unique nature of both people and the place. We recommend that conservationists examine complex place-based relations between humans and animals to improve wildlife conservation efforts.

Citation

Waters, S., Bell, S., & Setchell, J. M. (2018). Understanding Human-Animal Relations in the Context of Primate Conservation: A Multispecies Ethnographic Approach in North Morocco. Folia Primatologica, 89(1), 13-29. https://doi.org/10.1159/000480079

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 8, 2017
Online Publication Date Apr 10, 2018
Publication Date Apr 10, 2018
Deposit Date Aug 8, 2017
Publicly Available Date Apr 10, 2019
Journal Folia Primatologica
Print ISSN 0015-5713
Electronic ISSN 1421-9980
Publisher Karger Publishers
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 89
Issue 1
Pages 13-29
DOI https://doi.org/10.1159/000480079
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1352710

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer-reviewed but unedited manuscript version of the following article: Waters, Siân, Bell, Sandra & Setchell, Joanna M. (2018). Understanding Human-Animal Relations in the Context of Primate Conservation: A Multispecies Ethnographic Approach in North Morocco. Folia Primatologica 89(1): 13-29. The final, published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1159/000480079






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