Reuben Hoar Library (Littleton)

White man's game, saving animals, rebuilding Eden, and other myths of conservation in Africa, Stephanie Hanes

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages [263]-271) and index

maps

index present

non fiction

White man's game

bibliography

922458000

Stephanie Hanes

saving animals, rebuilding Eden, and other myths of conservation in Africa

"The stunningly beautiful Gorongosa National Park, once the crown jewel of Mozambique, was nearly destroyed by decades of civil war. It looked like a perfect place for Western philanthropy: revive the park and tourists would return, a win-win outcome for the environment and the impoverished villagers living in the area. So why did some researchers find the local communities actually getting hungrier, sicker, and poorer as the project went on? And why did efforts to bring back wildlife become far more difficult than expected? In pursuit of answers, Stephanie Hanes takes readers on a vivid safari across southern Africa, from the shark-filled waters off Cape Agulhas to a reserve trying to save endangered wild dogs. She traces the tangled history of Western missionaries, explorers, and do-gooders in Africa, from Stanley and Livingstone to Teddy Roosevelt, from Bono and the Live Aid festivals to Greg Carr, the American benefactor of Gorongosa. And she examines the larger problems that arise when Westerners try to "fix" complex, messy situations in the developing world, acting with best intentions yet potentially overlooking the wishes of the people who live there. Beneath the uplifting stories we tell ourselves about helping Africans, she shows, often lies a dramatic misunderstanding of what the locals actually need and want. A gripping narrative of environmentalists and insurgents, poachers and tycoons, elephants and angry spirits, White Man's Game profoundly challenges the way we think about philanthropy and conservation."--Jacket flap

Part I. Adventurers and saviors. 1. The trouble with painted dogs ; 2. Swimming with sharks ; 3. Snapping for Africa ; 4. The eco barons -- Part II. Gorongosa. 5. The five-act play ; 6. Of buffalo and poachers ; 7. The disorder ; 8. Beware the mountain ; 9. Elephant on the run -- Part III. The stories we tell ourselves. 10. The disconnect ; 11. National Geographic ; 12. The bioblitz ; 13. A multitude of voices