狩るものとしての「野生」:アフリカにおけるスポーツハンティングが内包する問題--カメルーン・ベヌエ国立公園地域を事例に (特集 「野生生物」との共存を考える)

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the historical power structure which lies behind the use of wildlife as a global resource, with regard to hunting for pleasure, namely, sport hunting or trophy hunting in Africa. Colonists from Europe initiated sport hunting in Africa and it eventually became a symbol of their wealth and supremacy. In the 1970's and 1980's, the sport hunting industry lost some of its vigor and faded from public eye because of the following three reasons: the popularity of the ethical anti-hunting objection, the rise of the principle of Community-Based Conservation (CBC) which stemmed from the criticism against the colonial policy for sport hunting, and the boom in Eco tourism. Sport hunting, however, was not completely come to an end, but it has survived and recently been actively engaged in. Moreover, sport hunting is now regarded as "sustainable" controlled hunting providing a vast amount of benefits and some governments and conservationists has reevaluated it as an important pillar of CBC policy. However, from the case study in Benoue national park, Cameroon, sport hunting has had a multitiered impact in the area. Sport hunting in that area is the centerpiece of the tourism that provides financial support for the management of the national park. Further, the local labor force and the income generated result in a reciprocal relationship between the industry, the government, and the local people. On the other hand, local hunting has been regulated and local people have been deprived the right to use natural resources freely as was the case with the former colonial policy. In my opinion, the idea of "sustainability" has been misconstrued in colonial and political statements to condemn local hunting and legitimize sport hunting with its accompanying historical power structure.