University of Kent

Emma Shepheard-Walwyn PhD Student
E-mail: es307

CV

PhD research entitled "Culture and Conservation in Coastal Kenya"

Supervisors: Professor Stuart Harrop, Dr Peter Bennett and Dr Zoe Davies

Ideas in conservation management have moved away from a purely scientific idea of what conservation is and how it should be practiced, to one which is more 'people centred' and holistic. The World's many cultures have evolved over time alongside the evolution of the natural environments that surround them (Global Diversity, 2010), cultures have been altered and developed in response to the environment in they are expressed, and likewise the natural environment has been altered due to the people that live within it. There is a strong and ever adapting relationship between cultural and biological diversity, and this relationship has gained increased importance in the ideas of conservation management in recent years. In many areas where the focus on economic growth and globalisation has been a focus there has been a simultaneous loss of both cultural diversity, and biological diversity. The link between a loss in cultural diversity as well as a decreased connection with nature has been drawn with the loss in biodiversity. Many developed countries are now trying to regain an understanding of their cultural identity and history, as well as increase and improve their natural environments. In newly developing countries, which have a right to develop and gain financial stability, how to jointly conserve both biodiversity and cultural diversity is a major concern.

This study will look at how the changes in culture, attitudes and belief systems affects their connection with their natural environment, and the impacts this has on the biodiversity in the area. It focuses on the Mijikenda people on the north coast of Kenya, and tries to understand how changes in the culture affects the protection of traditional sacred natural sites. The main questions in this project are:

• Are the traditional sacred natural sites important for local and/or global biodiversity?
  
  
• Is there a threat to this biodiversity?
  
  
• What is the existing demographic of the people living in the area and what is their existing culture?
  
• Can community focused conservation management of these forests be achieved based on the new understanding of the people who live by the forests, and is it possible to achieve this conservation in a manner which is compatible with and/or promotes cultural heritage protection?

To answer these questions, social and biological data will be collected. The sociological data will be collected through questionnaires, interviews and group workshops (including participant mapping). The biological data will use rapid biodiversity assessments and GIS techniques.

Outputs obtained from this PhD will help to fill in the gaps in understanding of the relationship between culture and nature, the threats that both culture and nature face, how this dynamic relationship can be managed to achieve biodiversity conservation aims, and the implications that these have for both development and biodiversity conservation management.

Funding

ESRC/NERC Interdisciplinary Studentship

Publications

Burton, J.,  L. Calderwood, M. Chandler, A.Pascual Cuadras, A. Kleiman, R. Miller, R. Searles, N. Spring, R. Stringer, G. Venicx, E. Shepheard-Walwyn, D. Winton, C. Zeeman (eds) (2010) Earthwatch 2010 Science Report. Yearly report for the Earthwatch Institute.