In the Dust of
Kilimanjaro
1997. David Western. A Shearwater
Book/Island Press, Washington, D. C. 250 pp. clothbound, $24.95.
David
Western is a romantic. He believes that people and wild animals
can live together. But his romanticism results in a very pragmatic
approach to conservation: He believes that unless people benefit
from wildlife, they will not live together and there will
be no wildlife. Or least none of the awesome creatures elephants,
tigers, or bears that most inspire, and most require, conservation.
Now the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Western grew up in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) at a time when British East Africa's great white hunters were turning into great white conservationists. He saw firsthand the resentment of native Africans who saw their wildlife and land usurped by colonials whose sole interest was to protect animals for their own pleasure or profit, at whatever cost and with no benefit to the local people. And he recognized that this kind of conservation would not work for long in Africa. Finding an alternative to protectionism at the expense of people has been the chief preoccupation of Western's distinguished career.
In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is divided into four parts. In the first, Western recounts his idyllic childhood in Africa and traces the origin and development of his love for Africa's people and wildlife. Here his writing sparkles. Vivid descriptions of the land, poignant recollections of his participation in hunts, and a haunting memory of an encounter with a sable antelope reveal a side to Western that his later scientific personna conceals in the rest of the book.
In the next part, Western recounts his first years of studying Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem. While most of his scientific colleagues sought to study wildlife only in undisturbed areas--places without people--Western was way ahead of his time in believing that people (in the case of Amboseli, the Maasai) were an integral part of the ecosystem. He also realized that Amboseli and its diverse wildlife could not be protected without the cooperation of the Maasai, and he soon found himself as embroiled in Kenya's conservation politics as in his science. Ultimately, he helped to forge a win-win agreement between the Maasai and the government game department that became a model for community-based conservation initiatives around the world.
Next, Western turns to elephants and the years-long controversy that finally led to the 1989 ban on the ivory trade. This section is fascinating for its insider's look at the politics of elephant conservation as they were played out on an international stage in the 1980s. Today, no one denies the success of the ivory ban in the recovery of elephant populations in Africa. Ironically, that very success is now a problem, as elephants are an increasing threat to the people who live among them. A villager who has lost his year's food crops to a herd of elephants doesn't care very much about saving elephants. Finding ways to reduce the threats and make elephants valuable to villagers is Western's current challenge.
Finally, in the last part of the book, Western returns to his beloved Amboseli to find the hard-won agreement between the Maasai and the game department in tatters. Once again, he is compelled to enter the political fray. Ultimately, at least in part due to his efforts, the game department that was earlier reorganized into the Kenya Wildlife Service under the direction of Richard Leakey agrees to honor the agreement, and the future for Kenya's wildlife and people looks brighter.
A postscript notes that Leakey resigned in 1994 and was replaced by Western. It remains to be seen how long and how well he can balance the needs of people and wildlife throughout Kenya. But the future of all of Kenya's marvelous animals may depend upon his success.
In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is must reading for anyone interested in the history of modern conservation or in the fate of African wildlife, as well as wildlife all over the world. The community-based approach to conservation that Western champions is being tested widely as the most promising way to ensure lasting conservation. It's worth learning about its origins.
--Susan Lumpkin
