Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PANATURE (Past Natures for Future Conservation – Current Narratives and Historical Human-Wildlife-Land Relations in Southern Africa and the European Alps)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-05-01 al 2026-04-30
This project investigated how ideas about past human–wildlife–land relations shaped contemporary conservation debates in Southern Africa and the European Alps. Conservation initiatives frequently rely on historical references—such as imagined wildernesses, pre-industrial rural practices, or colonial visions of untamed landscapes—to legitimise current interventions. However, these historical claims often lack empirical grounding. The project therefore applied historiographical methods, oral history, archival research and expert interviews to examine how such narratives were produced, used and contested in both regions.
Research was conducted in national and local archives in Namibia, Switzerland and Austria, and complemented by expert interviews with conservation practitioners in all three countries. A short academic stay at the University of Innsbruck enabled conceptual refinement and regional contextualisation of the Alpine component. The project showed that conservation narratives in Europe frequently invoked a harmonious rural landscape, while narratives in Southern Africa tended to reiterate colonial ideas of wildness (a pre-human past) and racialised belonging (a hunter-gatherer past). In both contexts, historical arguments played a key role in debates on rewilding, species reintroduction, land-use change and biodiversity management.
By contrasting influential public narratives and conceptual debates with historically grounded local case studies, the project demonstrated the importance of historically informed approaches to conservation planning and contributed to broader discussions in environmental humanities. The outcomes are expected to support more inclusive and context-sensitive conservation policies in both the Global South and Europe at a time of urgent environmental and climate challenges.
The project addressed an important gap in conservation debates: while historical arguments are frequently invoked to justify conservation measures, they are seldom based on systematic historical research. In Southern Africa, references to colonial ideas of pristine nature and racialised notions of belonging continue to influence conservation thinking, whereas in the European Alps debates often draw on imagined pre-industrial rural landscapes or narratives of an untouched wilderness. These assumptions inform contemporary decisions about land use, pastoralism, species management and rewilding, as well as reflecting (neo-)colonial inequalities.
The project therefore aimed to analyse how historical arguments were used in conservation debates in both regions; to investigate the accuracy and origins of selected historical claims through archival work, oral history and expert interviews; and to compare the two contexts to evaluate whether insights from Global South environmental history could enrich European debates.
Research was conducted in national and local archives in Namibia, Switzerland and Austria, and complemented by expert interviews with conservation practitioners in all three countries. A short academic stay at the University of Innsbruck enabled conceptual refinement and regional contextualisation of the Alpine component. The project showed that conservation narratives in Europe frequently invoked a harmonious rural landscape, while narratives in Southern Africa tended to reiterate colonial ideas of wildness (a pre-human past) and racialised belonging (a hunter-gatherer past). In both contexts, historical arguments played a key role in debates on rewilding, species reintroduction, land-use change and biodiversity management.
By contrasting influential public narratives and conceptual debates with historically grounded local case studies, the project demonstrated the importance of historically informed approaches to conservation planning and contributed to broader discussions in environmental humanities. The outcomes are expected to support more inclusive and context-sensitive conservation policies in both the Global South and Europe at a time of urgent environmental and climate challenges.
The project addressed an important gap in conservation debates: while historical arguments are frequently invoked to justify conservation measures, they are seldom based on systematic historical research. In Southern Africa, references to colonial ideas of pristine nature and racialised notions of belonging continue to influence conservation thinking, whereas in the European Alps debates often draw on imagined pre-industrial rural landscapes or narratives of an untouched wilderness. These assumptions inform contemporary decisions about land use, pastoralism, species management and rewilding, as well as reflecting (neo-)colonial inequalities.
The project therefore aimed to analyse how historical arguments were used in conservation debates in both regions; to investigate the accuracy and origins of selected historical claims through archival work, oral history and expert interviews; and to compare the two contexts to evaluate whether insights from Global South environmental history could enrich European debates.
The project proceeded along three intertwined strands of work. First, it analysed contemporary conservation narratives by examining the arguments put forward in policy documents, public debates and expert discourses in Southern Africa and the Alps. This included interviews with conservation practitioners, wildlife managers, agricultural officials and researchers in Namibia, Switzerland and Austria. Following these interviews and an initial review of narrative materials, the research focus was refined in dialogue with colleagues during a short academic stay at the University of Innsbruck, where conceptual aspects relating to environmental history and rewilding in the Alps were further developed.
Second, the project undertook historical research into selected claims about past human–wildlife–land relations. This was carried out through archival work in Namibia, Austria and Switzerland, including both national archives and smaller regional archives. These sources enabled localised, time-specific histories that allowed for a nuanced comparison with the narratives identified in current conservation debates.
Third, the project brought the two regional contexts into comparison. This work highlighted how colonial histories, land-use changes and social hierarchies shaped conservation thinking in Southern Africa, and how these insights could challenge assumptions in Alpine debates. It also demonstrated how European and Alpine conservation narratives often drew on simplified, selective, or idealised pasts, which contrasted with the more complex histories recovered through archival and oral research.
Throughout the project, findings were presented at several workshops and international conferences. A short article was published in the public-facing history platform Geschichte der Gegenwart; one peer-reviewed journal article is currently under review; and a co-authored book chapter with a colleague at the University of Cologne is in print. These outputs reflect the project’s dual commitment to academic dissemination and broader public engagement
Second, the project undertook historical research into selected claims about past human–wildlife–land relations. This was carried out through archival work in Namibia, Austria and Switzerland, including both national archives and smaller regional archives. These sources enabled localised, time-specific histories that allowed for a nuanced comparison with the narratives identified in current conservation debates.
Third, the project brought the two regional contexts into comparison. This work highlighted how colonial histories, land-use changes and social hierarchies shaped conservation thinking in Southern Africa, and how these insights could challenge assumptions in Alpine debates. It also demonstrated how European and Alpine conservation narratives often drew on simplified, selective, or idealised pasts, which contrasted with the more complex histories recovered through archival and oral research.
Throughout the project, findings were presented at several workshops and international conferences. A short article was published in the public-facing history platform Geschichte der Gegenwart; one peer-reviewed journal article is currently under review; and a co-authored book chapter with a colleague at the University of Cologne is in print. These outputs reflect the project’s dual commitment to academic dissemination and broader public engagement
The project advanced current scholarship by providing systematic, historically grounded comparisons of conservation narratives in Southern Africa and the European Alps. It demonstrated that influential conservation arguments relied on selective or imagined pasts, and that these narratives had substantial consequences for contemporary conservation policy and perceptions of human–nature relations. Through its archival work, expert interviews and conceptual development, the project showed that many historical claims used in conservation planning were either incomplete, oversimplified or disconnected from regional histories, and followed the needs of the powerful, rather then reflecting local people’s histories.
The comparative analysis introduced a new methodological perspective by applying debates and analytical tools from Global South environmental history to a European setting. This generated insights that broadened dominant approaches to rewilding and conservation in the Alps and opened space for critical dialogue across regions. The findings underscore the need for progressive conservation policies to engage more carefully with local histories, to avoid reproducing colonial assumptions and to consider a broader range of human and non-human experiences when imagining future landscapes.
The publications and presentations ensure that the project’s insights will continue to inform debates in environmental humanities, conservation history and policy-oriented conservation
The comparative analysis introduced a new methodological perspective by applying debates and analytical tools from Global South environmental history to a European setting. This generated insights that broadened dominant approaches to rewilding and conservation in the Alps and opened space for critical dialogue across regions. The findings underscore the need for progressive conservation policies to engage more carefully with local histories, to avoid reproducing colonial assumptions and to consider a broader range of human and non-human experiences when imagining future landscapes.
The publications and presentations ensure that the project’s insights will continue to inform debates in environmental humanities, conservation history and policy-oriented conservation