Hunter-gatherers, conservation and development: From prejudice to policy reform

Communities of present-day or former hunter-gatherers live in scattered communities across the world, although their precise numbers and status are very uncertain. Their often marginalised status and ethnolinguistic diversity has made it hard to articulate their case for land rights outside Australia and North America. Their preferred subsistence strategy, hunting, is often in direct conflict with conservation philosophies and protected areas often fall within their traditional hunting areas. This paper reviews their present situation and discusses some of the proposed strategies for incorporating them into more conventional natural resource management strategies.