Session 08 - 13th Congress of the International Society of

13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology
- S08 Local populations confronted with societal changes of tourisms
Co-Chairs:
Pr Mohamed Berriane
[email protected]
Dr Bernard Moizo
[email protected]
Mr Brahim Taharo (Sahraoui man, guest house owner and mountain guide, Tighmet Oasis,
Morocco)
Rationale
Many autochthonous, first nations or indigenous people, or even local communities are actively involved
in tourism, ecotourism, agritourism, or associated with other forms of green tourism ever since these
alternative forms have emerged and grown to become much more than “niche” products designed for a
specific and thus limited category of tourists.
The keen interest—in values other than those promoted by mass and/or seaside tourism—has developed
in reaction, or in parallel, to globalization which tends to amplify differences between North/South,
rich/poor, rural/urban, migrants/autochthonous and more broadly to increase economic, geographic,
cultural, racial or ethnic marginalisation.
These trends are also prompted by public policies designed to promote and develop rural tourism as an
extra income in poverty alleviation policies targeting the most marginalised people. Decision makers and
tour operators alike are pushing to develop further “niche tourism” offers with an objective—real or
not—to balance between mass and cultural tourism.
Nevertheless, marginalized areas are gradually acquiring development tools better adapted to their
limited resources (human, economic and cultural); their uniqueness is put forward in order to give
themselves the means for stability, or recognition of their identity or culture, or even, in developed
countries, for restoration of demographic balance, in particular by way of urban migrants returning to
their former rural homes.
There is a growing development, uncontrolled at times, of “new” tourism activities involving local
products (basket of “goods and services”, agritourism), nature oriented (wild or artificial), or based on
ethical values, such as solidarity, sharing, socio-cultural exchanges, or meeting the “others” (who have to
be far and different)—in some case there is even an ethnotourism label emerging.
In this session we would like to highlight some crucial issues: initiatives are growing in numbers, which
sometimes leads to dispersion of efforts and redundant programs, or triggers conflicts of various types.
One cannot ignore the danger of distorting local heritage when initiatives are conducted in response to
tourists’ expectations—real or interpreted—in terms of offering an image that corresponds to these
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expectations. There are also the undeniable dangers of merchandised and uniformised goods leading to
local diversity loss as a result of demands formulated and initiated from outside with only one local
product selected while others, equally important, are simply ignored; other pitfalls exist such as a
standardised and globalized definition of what agritourism should be, or inflexible models of officially
labelled ecotourism. Further, many conflicts can be seen in terms of governance and unequal
opportunities within local communities, which divides those who deal with tourists from others. Finally, it
is undeniable that the potential for social innovation exists, but the main questions are: 1) Who will
benefit from it and how? 2) How can people’s flexibility be used as an efficient tool for local
development?
We do not intend to classify, define of even label types of tourism since they can combine, connect and
intersect. However, by building upon case studies of local people’s experiences— failures or successes—
involving one item (nature, local product, intangible heritage) we aim to question the reasons, modes
and consequences of communities’ involvement either in local, regional, national or international
programs promoting such initiatives. We would also like to address how identified dynamics are
connected with societal changes in tourism. Presentations will preferably be aimed at addressing one or
more of the following issues:
- To offer a broad and updated view of initiatives focusing on governance, resilience and innovation.
Insisting equally on short-term and limited projects as well as on success stories built upon quality (local
product, welcome, etc.) and creativity, thus increasing the chances to avoid the pitfalls resulting from an
uncontrolled tourism boom.
- To understand the strategies and reasons that initially led to people’s involvement in tourism network
or initiatives (motivation such as ethnic revival, land right issues, ethnic identity, political statement,
reaction against growing marginalisation, or simply as an economic or other opportunity).
- To identify how such involvement can help restore or (re)define local heritage (cultural, rural, natural,
agrarian), as well as the main actors of these heritage revival based initiatives (initiators, beneficiaries,
consumers)
- To analyse how these “new actors” of tourism use social networks new to them (web, Facebook), how
resistance is, or is not, organised to block the growing market-oriented economy ever present in all
forms of tourism, and how local people can become tourists themselves in other geographic or cultural
settings.
- To analyse connections, if any, between new and former types of tourism, typically linked to another
model of development. Such connections can be social and cultural, but territorial and spatial as well.
This session is to be understood first and foremost as a forum for exchanging experiences between local
communities from various developing countries. For this reason, the session will be open to all
participants beyond the circles of researchers, academics, universities and tourism professionals.
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Oral presentations
An ecotourism project in Northern Laos: hopes and frustrations among local communities
Bernard Moizo
Abstract: The town of Luang Prabang (North Laos) was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for
having “outstanding value to humanity” for the cultural heritage represented through the architecture
of the temples and houses in 1995. This urban economic growth has increased the demand for tourism
infrastructure and agricultural products while the migration of people from the surrounding rural areas
into the town. Increasing economic and population growth however is becoming a growing threat to the
sustainable development and conservation of the exceptional cultural and natural heritage of the region.
To address the links between urban-rural development and cultural-natural heritage, the UNESCO was
interested in developing a model for sustainable development of the surrounding rural area to Luang
Prabang. This project will strive to establish the Nam Khan watershed as a biosphere reserve where the
conservation of biodiversity and watershed function will be accompanied with rural development
initiatives aimed to improve the socioeconomic conditions of villages while reducing human impact on
ecosystem health.
Several preliminary surveys were conducted under the UNESCO MAB programme, which stress on
protecting natural and cultural environment while creating opportunities for local communities. It has
not been successful so far. The two main targets groups were: users of the Nam Khan valley (farmers,
fishermen, forest managers, households and local communities. The latter needed to be empowered
with better understanding of the benefits for a better diversified and stable economy, enhancement of
local products, and more decision-making capacity in land and resource use.
A major part of this project was the feasibility and the development of an ecotourism scheme with
strong support and involvement from local communities. I will address the discrepancy between local
villagers' expectations and regional government agencies regarding the ecotourism scheme.
Interactions between local tribes, intensive farming, tourists and researchers
Les interactions entre tribus locales, agriculture intensive, touristes et chercheurs
Brahim Taharo
Abstract: Je pratique l'agriculture traditionnelle dans l'oasis de Tighmart, au Sud du Maroc. Je cultive les
terres héritées de mes parents, irriguées par la source de l'oasis. Les droits d'eau sont transmis de
parents à enfants. Ma mère ayant surtout hérité de tours d'eau et mon père davantage de terres, j'irrigue
les jardins de mon père avec l'eau de ma mère. Pour faire parvenir l'eau de la source à nos jardins, nous
creusons de petits canaux de terre avec des portes, l'oasis est comme un labyrinthe dans lequel nous
faisons cheminer l'eau d'un jardin à l'autre. Les plantes que nous cultivons sont : l'orge, le blé, le maïs, la
luzerne. Nos semences sont traditionnelles, nous les conservons dans des greniers souterrains. C'est
pour cela que notre pain, notre couscous et le lait de nos vaches ont une saveur si particulière.
Depuis quelques années des changements sont intervenus dans l'oasis et aux alentours.
- Des agriculteurs originaires du nord du Maroc sont venus s'installer. Ils pratiquent une agriculture
maraichère intensive gourmande en eau. Nous leur avons loué des terres en dehors de l'oasis. A l'aide
d'engins, ils pompent l'eau dans les nappes souterraines, entrainant la baisse du niveau de notre source.
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- Le tourisme se développe, et des touristes achètent des terres et des maisons dans l'oasis. Le Sahara est
une terre d'accueil, nous sommes fiers d'y attirer les étrangers. La construction de piscines, le gaspillage
d'eau et les plantations (arbres et fleurs) posent des problèmes.
- Des ethnologues, botanistes, écologues, s'intéressent de plus en plus à notre région, et mettent en
place des programmes d'étude sur la biodiversité, le développement durable et l'écotourisme. Les
interactions avec les habitants de l'oasis sont riches, et nous espérons que leur intervention permettra un
plus grand respect et une préservation de notre équilibre écologique et hydraulique traditionnel.
Revival of the Berber heritage by indigenous communities: a case study in Southwestern
Morocco
Réappropriation du patrimoine berbère par les communautés autochtones : Un exemple au
Sud-ouest du Maroc
Hassan Aboutayeb
Le tourisme tend inéluctablement vers la durabilité avec la création des critères mondiaux de tourisme
durable (CMTD). De plus, grâce à la demande touristique, la démarche de durabilité s'impose dans la
gestion des structures d'hébergement. C'est un nouveau critère de qualité et un moyen de redynamiser
les territoires. La démarche d'Atlas Kasbah est issue de cette tendance. Il s'agit de « penser globalement
et agir localement » (Agenda 21), en contribuant à petite échelle à atteindre les Objectifs du Millénaire
pour le Développement de 2015 et ceux de l'Initiative Nationale de Développement Humain au Maroc :
protection de l'environnement et lutte contre la pauvreté. Cette démarche concerne l'ensemble du
territoire du projet située dans le Pays d'Accueil Touristique (PAT) des Ida Ou Tanane près d'Agadir, au
cœur d'une aire protégée unique : la Réserve de Biosphère de l'Arganeraie (RBA) reconnue par l'Unesco
depuis 1998. Conjointement à la gestion et la philosophie durable du projet Atlas Kasbah, l'approche a
donc privilégié une intégration au territoire d'implantation par le biais d'une démarche « écologique », la
promotion du patrimoine biogéographique et culturel, une dynamisation socio-économique et la
valorisation de l'Humain.
Dans notre intervention, nous allons mettre l'accent sur un aspect important : la valorisation du
patrimoine et de la culture berbère autochtone au travers les actions et activités suivantes :
- Architecture en pisé, ameublement et décoration traditionnelle
- Activités récréatives et d'animation patrimonialisées : la métamorphose de coutume et savoir-faire
autochtones en moyens de réappropriation et valorisation patrimoniale pour le personnel et de
découverte pour les visiteurs.
Perspective durable contemporaine et valeurs ancestrales berbères : lancement d'un projet de
permaculture.
Saffron, rural tourism and migration. Local development and socio-territorial divisions in a
mountain of the Moroccan Atlas
Safran, tourisme rural et migration. Développement local et clivages socio-territoriaux dans
une montagne de l'Atlas marocain
Mohammed Aderghal, Mohamed Berriane, Lahoucine Amzil
Résumé : Le safran et le tourisme rural sont deux éléments qui conditionnent la dynamique du système
territorial dans la région de Taliouine. Après une phase de déprise agraire ; due à l'émigration ; le
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renouveau actuel est en rapport avec le retour des migrants qui investissent dans le safran, devenu
produit de terroir ; et dans la construction des auberges touristiques. Mais si le tourisme rural ; élément
d'un projet de Co-développement porté par une association de migrants, est une activité peu familière
pour des populations paysannes ; le safran s'inscrit, par contre, dans la tradition des systèmes agraires.
Les observations menées dans deux douars montrent que ces deux activités combinées n'ont pas
produit les mêmes effets socio territoriaux. Dans un premier douar, le safran est une culture marginale
mais la présence d'une auberge fréquentée par des touristes a donné lieu à une initiative de
développement local portée par une association villageoise. Alors que dans le deuxième douar, où le
safran jouit de conditions édaphiques plus favorables ; la présence de l'auberge est à l'origine de
l'éclatement de plusieurs conflits sociaux qui constituent un prolongement d'anciens clivages claniques.
Dans la présente communication nous aborderons les questionnements suivants : Dans un contexte
socio environnemental en transformation, quelles sont les interactions produites entre tourisme rural et
culture du safran ? Quelle explication donnée à cette dynamique différenciée et à la double perception,
positive et négative, du tourisme rural dans les 2 douars ? Comment les migrants de retour investissent le
champ social local, comme acteurs de développement, et comme catégorie d'entrepreneurs à fort
potentiel économique qui influencent les rapports sociaux au territoire ?
Conservation of Development or The Development of Conservation: To Study the Role of
Ecotourism in Great Himalayan National Park, India
Suman Bhanoo
Abstract: Ecotourism may help in protecting forest and traditional cultures while also meeting of needs
of local residents. Ecotourism is a special kind of market integration for rural communities. In other
words, it is linking of the livelihood approach with biodiversity conservation. According to Indian Wildlife
Protection Act (1972), no habitation is permitted in the National Park within an area of 90 sq. km. In such
case, ecotourism can resolve this conflict and bring people and park together. Ecotourism is the major
step to conserve nature and to provide employment to the people living around protected area.
Ecotourism represents one aspect of the sustainable use approach in which biodiversity is regarded as a
product to be sold to consumers. It is being increasingly viewed by local and indigenous communities as
an important tool for promoting sustainable livelihoods, cultural preservation and biodiversity
conservation.
Linking biodiversity and intangible heritage: revival initiatives promoting social and economic
opportunities in Trás-os-Montes, Northeastern Portugal
Ana Maria Carvalho, Margarida Telo Ramos, Isabel Sá, António Bárbolo Alves
Abstract: Trás-os-Montes, so called Nordeste Transmontano, is the most interior Portuguese region, far
from the coastal centers of decision, characterized by marginalized communities, frequent migratory
flows, faraway mountains and plateaus near the Spanish border, highly diverse landscapes, rich fauna
and flora, and unique local heritage steeped in centuries of tradition and substantiated into an ancient
Romance language, the Mirandese.
For the last decade two different associations, FRAUGA and ALDEIA, settled in Terras de Miranda (Picote
and Vimioso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal) and led by young teams, have been involved in several initiatives,
programs and funded projects aiming to promote biodiversity, sustainable use and conservation
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strategies, to document local knowledge and intangible heritage and to involve local partners in different
tasks and projects.
In general these initiatives (e.g., field walks, guided tours, workshops, exhibitions, fairs, festivals), now
and then heritage revival based activities, involved an interesting number of participants, outsiders that
are locally viewed as tourists. Attendees are Portuguese (mainly from Lisbon an Oporto, two coastal
cities) and Spanish visitors, migrants occasionally visiting or returning to their former rural homes,
students from different levels (primary, secondary and higher education) and local people, which
sometimes are the main actors, as they perform several tasks and former activities (e.g. telling stories,
basket weaving, farming techniques, wild plants and mushrooms gathering).
Based on the two associations activities we analyze and discuss how these initiatives can contribute to
redefine local heritage attempting to avoid marginalization, to increase self-esteem, and to promote
sustainable management of resources and social and economic opportunities. Moreover, we report local
people' motivation and benefits while involved in such initiatives and informal tourism networks.
Hunter-gatherer’s culture, a major attraction and hindrance to tourism development: The case
of the Punan of East-Kalimantant
Patrice Levang, Miyako Koizumi
Abstract: The Punan of East Kalimantan (Indonesia) settled in fixed villages and adopted upland rice
farming between the 1950s and 1970s. Based on diet and household economic data and observation of
social relationships in remote Punan villages, we concluded that the society is still in a transitional stage.
The set of social characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies with “immediate-return systems” prevents
somehow these societies from adopting new livelihood systems. The same social characteristics are at
stake in the Punan's relationships with foreigners and potential tourists. While the charismatic image of
the Punan hunter-gatherer with his reputation of ecologically noble savage would become a best seller
among travel agents, the Punan's attitude towards foreigners might turn an adventurous travel into a
nightmare for any potential tourist.
Most of the difficulties to adapt to new livelihood systems stem from the remnants of a huntergatherers' culture, a culture not really in line with what a foreign tourist hopes to discover in the high
forests of Kalimantan.
The influences of tourism upon local populations’ life-style: The case of the Gyèli/Kola, Batanga
and Mabi in the town of Kribi, Cameroon
Impacts du tourisme sur les modes de vie des populations locales : Cas des Gyèli/Kola, Batanga
et Mabi de la ville de Kribi au Cameroun
François Ngouoh
Résumé : Les statistiques du tourisme mondial montrent une augmentation de personnes se déplaçant
pour le plaisir, le dépaysement, la détente, les affaires ou des visites aux proches. De 300 millions en
1950, ils étaient 1 milliard en 2005. Les prévisions pour 2020 avancent le chiffre de 1,6 milliard. Cette
hausse exponentielle de voyages a fait du tourisme, et malgré les crises ; un moteur du développement
économique. Mais, il représente aussi une menace pour l'environnement et les us et coutumes des
populations des pays visités. En prenant l'exemple de la ville de Kribi, sur la coté atlantique
camerounaise, il y est pratiqué plusieurs types de tourismes au rang desquels : le tourisme balnéaire,
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l'écotourisme, le tourisme d'affaire et le tourisme culturel, pour ne citer que ceux-là. Ces pratiques se
fondent sur les atouts naturels et culturels de la région. S'il a permis le développement de la ville par la
construction des infrastructures d'accueil et la création d'emplois, le secteur du tourisme a multiplié les
problèmes sociaux en faisant des populations locales les victimes indirectes voire directes des voyageurs
en quête d'exotisme. A travers notre exposé, il s'agit de montrer l'incidence du tourisme sur les modes
de vie des trois principaux groupes ethniques de cette cité balnéaire que sont : les chasseurs-cueilleurs
Gyèli/Kola, les pêcheurs Batanga et les agriculteurs Mabi. Le tourisme tel qu'il y est pratiqué a causé la
folklorisation des traditions, la dénaturalisation des valeurs et mœurs, l'augmentation de la promiscuité,
la croissance des inégalités sociales et la perte des identités culturelles. Cette présentation suggère la
promotion du tourisme durable dans un but de préservation des ressources locales et de l'intégrité
culturelle des populations de Kribi en particulier, et des autres régions du Cameroun en général.
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