Capabilities, place, and wellbeing in conservation spaces: An empirical analysis

Using case studies from Namibia and Mozambique, we examine how regulations against hunting impact person–place relationships and affect multidimensional wellbeing in conservation spaces. We combine Amartya Sen's capability approach with theories of place, using Chris de Wet's concept of disemplacement to investigate the ways conservation efforts affect rural quality of life. We find conservation and place-making become incompatible if people are prevented from adapting lifestyles and livelihoods to accommodate changing circumstances. By tracing distinct dimensions of the disemplacement process, we demonstrate the adverse and compounding effects of wildlife regulations associated with nature tourism. Disruptions to economic livelihoods and physical security destabilize person–place bonds that enhance wellbeing. Material losses and economic hardship are accompanied by institutional disruptions that contribute to marginalization and social exclusion. We provide a detailed illustration of how conservation regulations constrain agency and contribute to a growing sense of powerlessness by decreasing local control over wildlife, which consequently weakens place attachment and diminishes wellbeing. Our study demonstrates how people become more multidimensionally impoverished as conservation initiatives change the places they value while simultaneously limiting their capabilities to maintain place attachment.