In this episode, we explore the theme of wildlife conservation and the tensions that exist between how people in the global north tend to view these issues versus how they are perceived and experienced by the rural people who live alongside wild animals in countries like Botswana in southern Africa. To discuss these themes, we speak with Joseph E. Mbaiwa, Professor of Tourism Studies at University of Botswana, and Chris Brown, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University about Botswana’s 2014 hunting ban on African elephants. Through this example, we explore the political and eco-colonial contexts that influenced both the institution of the ban, as well as the ban’s impact on communities within Botswana.
