Women in Conservation: Narratives of Care, Place and Practice in the Lowveld Region, South Africa

Abstract: Understanding the diverse values, perspectives and lived experiences of conservation practitioners can offer insight into more effective pathways to just, diverse and inclusive stewardship practices. Within the cultural dimension of stewardship, sense of place (as a source of care) has the potential to articulate the relational ties between humans, nonhumans and the environment. These interactions can help to explain how specific stewardship practices emerge in real-world contexts. Women continue to be underrepresented and marginalized in conservation arenas; particularly in contexts which are historically male-dominated, and shaped by exclusionary approaches based on ‘fortress conservation’ ideals. Through (virtual) in-depth interviews and photo-elicitation, this study explores (a) the role of place meanings in informing conservation practices in the Lowveld region, South Africa, (b) how women conservationists navigate and perform socio-spatial identities within the highly gendered, political and militarised social-ecological systems in this region, and (c) the implications of (a) and (b) on landscape-level stewardship. Findings indicate that place meanings operate as personal motivations and inform gendered performances of conservation practitioners, in turn influencing the (re)production of hegemonic narratives and practices. Participants’ photographic narratives revealed a shared ‘gravitational pull’ to the Lowveld: revered as the ‘mecca of conservation’ and the ‘epicenter of biodiversity’. This research highlights the role of women in restoring relationships and practices ‘beyond the fence’, yet shows that in order to cope and claim space participants both challenge and draw on normative femininities and masculinities. In doing so, personal approaches and priorities are shaped by (and in some cases inadvertently reproduce) hegemonic masculinities which are a barrier to more inclusive conservation practices. Critically, women conservationists question the appropriateness of ‘gender mainstreaming’ attempts, calling for empowerment and equal opportunity for women in conservation on the basis of competency and capability rather than gender.