‘Anything we do, we have to include the communities’: law enforcement rangers’ attitudes towards and experiences of community–ranger relations in wildlife protected areas in Uganda

Wildlife crime and wildlife law enforcement have become important areas of study for criminologists. Little is known, however, of the experiences of law enforcement personnel, including their attitudes towards local villagers. Similar to previous policing research underscoring the value of understan...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Moreto, William D. (Author) ; Brunson, Rod K. (Author) ; Braga, Anthony Allan 1969- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2017
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2017, Volume: 57, Issue: 4, Pages: 924-944
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Wildlife law enforcement
Community relations
Conservation criminology,
Uganda
Policing
Qualitative methods
Wildtierhandel
Description
Summary:Wildlife crime and wildlife law enforcement have become important areas of study for criminologists. Little is known, however, of the experiences of law enforcement personnel, including their attitudes towards local villagers. Similar to previous policing research underscoring the value of understanding the perspectives of front-line law enforcement, this qualitative study examines the attitudes and experiences of law enforcement rangers towards residents living near a protected area (PA) in Uganda. Drawn from semi-structured interviews and participant observation, our findings reveal a multifaceted relationship between rangers and villagers. Despite offering mixed reactions about local residents, respondents recognized the importance of strengthening community–ranger relations. Implications for the development of co-production between rangers and villagers in the management and monitoring of PAs are discussed
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azw032