‘Where is the Equilibrium Here?’: Perceptions of Economy and Conservation
Vanessa deKoninck, Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, Darwin
The successful integration of conservation and development has become a central issue in the discourse of protected area management. This integration is often predicated on an assumption that indigenous people mainly desire economic development, while the state's interest lies mainly in conservation aims. Thus a balance must be found, in the parameters of the establishment and management of the park, between these two seemingly opposing ambitions. This paper explores the shape and substance of that desired balance as it has played out in recent years in a jointly managed park in the far northern Top End of Australia. I argue that there is a significant gap in perceptions about the goals and management of the park between formal park managers and the Aboriginal landowners of the park, who also participate to varying degrees in the park’s joint management regime. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, the integration of conservation and development in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park does not simply involve competing interests in economic development and conservation that correlate directly to indigenous and state actors, but rather divergent definitions of the very concepts of ‘conservation’ and ‘economic development.
