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An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613785015975936 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Sadler, Caitlyn |
| author2 | Robins, Steven |
| author_browse | Robins, Steven Sadler, Caitlyn |
| author_facet | Robins, Steven Sadler, Caitlyn |
| author_sort | Sadler, Caitlyn |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134796 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:39.515Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134796 An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy Sadler, Caitlyn Robins, Steven Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Karoo Khoisan (African people) -- South Africa Ethnology -- South Africa -- Karoo Indigenous peoples -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Natural areas -- Management -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Sadler, C. 2025. An Ethnographic Exploration of Contemporary Conservation: Insights from the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/232b3bda-0801-45e4-84ad-4ebb295eca43 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Conservation in South Africa has undergone significant transformations, shifting away from primarily state-led initiatives towards a more fragmented landscape of private, communal, and NGO-driven efforts (Hoffman & Gilson, 2024:213). This thesis examines the contemporary conservation approaches implemented in the semi-arid region of the Karoo, where biodiversity stewardship programs, private nature reserves, and civil society-led initiatives intersect with historical land use patterns and broader governance shifts. By focusing on the diverse actors involved, including landowners, government agencies, conservation NGOs, and local community members, the research explores the challenges, negotiations, and power dynamics shaping conservation in a region historically dominated by livestock farming. Using an ethnographic case study of the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy, alongside insights from other conservation initiatives in the Karoo and Northern Cape, this thesis explores the complexities of land use transitions and the realities of market-based approaches to conservation. Furthermore, it examines how these practices are both shaped by, and help shape, various entangled moral, ecological, and economic relationships to nature. It argues that while binary moral framings of conservation, such as ecocentric and anthropocentric approaches (Kopnina et al., 2017:2), may offer some use for critical analysis, they often obscure the situated and contested realities and motives of conservation on the ground. By situating conservation within the broader historical, socio-political, and economic landscape, this thesis contributes to debates on environmental governance, land use change, and the contested nature of conservation in rural South Africa. As such, the thesis seeks to provide a critical perspective on the realities and limitations of contemporary conservation efforts, emphasising the role of both historical legacies and present-day governance challenges in shaping the future of conservation. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie. Masters 2026-01-08T08:47:06Z 2026-01-08T08:47:06Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134796 Stellenbosch University 134 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Karoo Khoisan (African people) -- South Africa Ethnology -- South Africa -- Karoo Indigenous peoples -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Natural areas -- Management -- South Africa UCTD Sadler, Caitlyn An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title | An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title_full | An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title_fullStr | An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title_full_unstemmed | An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title_short | An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: insights from the Khoisan Karoo conservancy |
| title_sort | ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation insights from the khoisan karoo conservancy |
| topic | Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Karoo Khoisan (African people) -- South Africa Ethnology -- South Africa -- Karoo Indigenous peoples -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Natural areas -- Management -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134796 |
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