Bamboo for People and Primates: An Ethnography of 'Convivial Connections' between Conservation, Development and Identity on the Ecuadorian Coast.
Abstract
The coastal province of Manabí Ecuador has some of the highest rates of deforestation in Latin America, and remaining fragments are home to two primate species threatened with extinction – the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata aequatorialis), and the Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin (Cebus aequatorialis). Manabí is also reputed to contain the greatest concentration of Guadua angustifolia bamboo in the country, and the development of a sustainable bamboo economy is being promoted by some as a solution to the social and environmental issues that plague the region.
This thesis uses an ethnoprimatological approach to explore the messiness of conviviality, or “living with”, in human and nonhuman worlds, through an investigation of lived realities and interrelationships between people, non-human primates, and bamboo in the Pacoche Wildlife Refuge of coastal Ecuador. Starting from the premise that participants’ relationships with the nonhuman are embodied in historically situated experiences, and political-economic and social contexts that are constantly in flux, and based on findings generated by a mixed methods approach, this thesis uncovers the many meanings and values associated with bamboo, as an everyday raw material, a cause for contention with local authorities, a “green” commodity, an important part of cultural heritage and identity, and a vital component of primate habitats.
Findings also reveal that unraveling the complex power structures embedded within conservation politics can expose new ways of seeing and thinking about conservation that prioritize local knowledge and existing relationships between humans and nonhumans as active agents in shaping forest ecosystems. Ultimately, this thesis argues for a community-based conservation model aligned with principles of convivial conservation, where local residents are integral participants in the conservation process.