Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.

In 1991, the Ugandan government formally established National Parks within the ancestral homelands of the Batwa Peoples. No consultation was carried out with local Batwa communities, and they were consequently forcibly evicted from their Forest home. With this, we sought to better understand the imp...

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Main Authors: Sylvia Kokunda, Haven Nahabwe, Jeremiah Nahamya, Samari Niwamanya, Ronald Mazirwe, Samrawit Gougsa, Elizabeth Kemigisha, Nicole Redvers
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLOS Global Public Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002129
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author Sylvia Kokunda
Haven Nahabwe
Jeremiah Nahamya
Samari Niwamanya
Ronald Mazirwe
Samrawit Gougsa
Elizabeth Kemigisha
Nicole Redvers
author_facet Sylvia Kokunda
Haven Nahabwe
Jeremiah Nahamya
Samari Niwamanya
Ronald Mazirwe
Samrawit Gougsa
Elizabeth Kemigisha
Nicole Redvers
author_sort Sylvia Kokunda
collection DOAJ
description In 1991, the Ugandan government formally established National Parks within the ancestral homelands of the Batwa Peoples. No consultation was carried out with local Batwa communities, and they were consequently forcibly evicted from their Forest home. With this, we sought to better understand the impacts of forced Land eviction through the lens of solastalgia. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with adult Batwa Peoples of varying age and gender in Uganda from August to November 2022. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was carried out on the interview transcripts to identify themes from the initial codes. Four overarching themes were identified, including: 1) Our love and connection with the Forest; 2) What was left in the Forest when we were evicted; 3) What eviction from the Forest did to us as Batwa Peoples; and 4) Batwa People's Landback and returning to the Forest ('Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands'). As movement towards the global "30 by 30" conservation agenda occurs, we urge researchers, policy makers, and leaders to listen to the voices of Indigenous Peoples like the Batwa with a key focus on Landback and movement towards a clearer understanding and appreciation of the impacts of Western conservation agendas on Indigenous Peoples globally.
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language English
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-bca6e49e377c4c3395bf1dcffffe2a172025-08-20T02:33:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLOS Global Public Health2767-33752023-01-0138e000212910.1371/journal.pgph.0002129Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.Sylvia KokundaHaven NahabweJeremiah NahamyaSamari NiwamanyaRonald MazirweSamrawit GougsaElizabeth KemigishaNicole RedversIn 1991, the Ugandan government formally established National Parks within the ancestral homelands of the Batwa Peoples. No consultation was carried out with local Batwa communities, and they were consequently forcibly evicted from their Forest home. With this, we sought to better understand the impacts of forced Land eviction through the lens of solastalgia. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with adult Batwa Peoples of varying age and gender in Uganda from August to November 2022. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was carried out on the interview transcripts to identify themes from the initial codes. Four overarching themes were identified, including: 1) Our love and connection with the Forest; 2) What was left in the Forest when we were evicted; 3) What eviction from the Forest did to us as Batwa Peoples; and 4) Batwa People's Landback and returning to the Forest ('Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands'). As movement towards the global "30 by 30" conservation agenda occurs, we urge researchers, policy makers, and leaders to listen to the voices of Indigenous Peoples like the Batwa with a key focus on Landback and movement towards a clearer understanding and appreciation of the impacts of Western conservation agendas on Indigenous Peoples globally.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002129
spellingShingle Sylvia Kokunda
Haven Nahabwe
Jeremiah Nahamya
Samari Niwamanya
Ronald Mazirwe
Samrawit Gougsa
Elizabeth Kemigisha
Nicole Redvers
Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
PLOS Global Public Health
title Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
title_full Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
title_fullStr Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
title_full_unstemmed Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
title_short Batwa Indigenous Peoples forced eviction for "Conservation": A qualitative examination on community impacts.
title_sort batwa indigenous peoples forced eviction for conservation a qualitative examination on community impacts
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002129
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