Introduction

Fortress conservation is an environmental preservation approach that advocates for a strict separation between natural areas and human beings. This approach is based on the premise that nature protection is only effective when biodiversity spaces are isolated and monitored, often through the creation of national parks or protected reserves where local communities are excluded. This model has been widely promoted by international organisations and governments with the goal of conserving biodiversity. This article aims to analyse how this conservation model perpetuates epistemicide in Africa, a phenomenon that manifests in the destruction or marginalisation of local knowledge systems.

Impacts of Fortress Conservation in Africa

Currently, there are over 160,000 protected areas globally, covering 10 to 15 percent of the world’s surface area (both land and sea). The World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) identifies more than 8,000 formally registered protected areas in Africa, and the continent is recognised for hosting the highest number of countries with more than 30% of their territory reserved for environmental conservation. As the Brazilian anthropologist António Carlos Diegues explains, most African countries use the fortress conservation model. This approach often limits local communities’ access to these areas, forcing people to leave their homes and lose important natural and cultural resources. Many protected areas are run by foreign companies or NGOs like WWF and The Nature Conservancy, which use strict security and surveillance to keep local people out. This “militarisation of conservation” treats local communities as threats rather than partners in protecting the environment.

The Perpetuation of Epistemicide in Africa

Fortress conservation not only ignores the rights of local communities to access and manage their land, but it also contributes to “epistemicide”. This term, introduced by Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, means the systematic destruction or marginalisation of local knowledge systems. In Africa, many communities have ancestral knowledge and traditional methods for protecting biodiversity, deeply tied to their myths, taboos, beliefs, and cultural practices. For instance, in traditional communities in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the pangolin was considered a sacred animal, protected by a taboo passed down through generations. Killing a pangolin would not only result in social disapproval, but also bring the anger of the ancestors, who, according to belief, would curse the offender and their family. The Shona people of Zimbabwe express this in the saying: “Usauraya haka” — Do not kill a pangolin. Though these traditions may not be called “environmentalism” in the Western sense, they serve the same purpose: preventing overexploitation and maintaining ecological balance.

Conclusion

In summary, fortress conservation in Africa not only perpetuates epistemicide but also reinforces a colonial and exclusionary conservation paradigm. Overcoming this approach requires recognizing the relevance of indigenous practices and including local communities as key players in the environmental preservation process.

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