- Title
- 'God is my forest': Xhosa cultural values provide untapped opportunities for conservation
- Creator
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P, Vetter, Susan M
- Date
- 2012
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141198
- Identifier
- vital:37952
- Identifier
- DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v108i5/6.880
- Description
- In South Africa conservation is still largely framed in terms of Western scientific values, with a focus on material benefits to local communities, whilst little is known about the intangible values local people attach to nature and biodiversity. We explored the cultural, spiritual and emotional relationships with nature expressed by Xhosa people, within the MaputalandPondoland-Albany Hotspot, as well as the activities that mediate this relationship. A descriptive research approach was applied to document the emotions, meanings and values associated with landscape elements. This approach included group and individual interviews and ‘walk-in-the-woods’ interviews and participatory mapping exercises. Respondents portrayed a strong, although not always easily articulated, appreciation for nature, especially ihlathi lesiXhosa (‘Xhosa forest’, vegetation types within the Thicket Biome).
- Format
- 8 pages, pdf
- Language
- English
- Relation
- South African Journal of Science, Cocks, M.L., Dold, T. and Vetter, S., 2012. 'God is my forest': Xhosa cultural values provide untapped opportunities for conservation. South African Journal of Science, 108(5-6), pp.52-59., South African Journal of Science volume 108 number 5-6 52 59 2012 1996-7489
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the South African Journal of Science Copyright and Permissions Statement (https://www.sajs.co.za/copyright-permissions)
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Collections
Vetter, Susan M (Assoc Prof)
Dold, Anthony Patrick (Mr)
SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
Cocks, Michelle Linda (Assoc Prof)
RU Department of Anthropology
RU Department of Botany
SDG 15. Life On Land
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | God is my forest.pdf | 655 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |