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ARE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE CONSERVATIONISTS?

PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE MACHIGUENGA OF THE PERUVIAN AMAZON

Contrary to the widespread belief that indigenous peoples are adept managers of their natural environments, preliminary research from the Machiguenga of the Peruvian Amazon indicates that this may not be the case. In an attempt to identify whether the Machiguenga in the village of Camisea conserve natural resources, the group was studied in relation to resource use, perceptions of the environment, and their understanding of population biology. Cultural characteristics were examined as well, such as social sanctioning and awareness of the behaviors of others in the group, both of which may be necessary for group-level conservation. It was found that the Machiguenga lack the social structure and cognitive models needed for sustainable resource use - although, given the particular cultural and economic history of the group, these elements made good adaptive sense.

Key Words: conservation • cultural adaptation • Machiguenga • Peruvian Amazon • sustainability

Rationality and Society, Vol. 13, No. 4, 429-461 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/104346301013004002


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