Transcript of a letter from Paul van Vlissingen, Chairman of African Parks Foundation, responding to the interest this issue generated on the TGER listserv


Dear Professor Sheridan,

In the middle of Africa I received through friends on my mail your concerns about the Mursi and the management of OMO by the African Parks Foundation, of which I am the founder and Chairman.

Thank you for raising this question, which often feeds on rumors and fear.  Neither is necessary in my opinion.  African Parks has developed an innovative entrepreneurial social model that would simply defeat itself if we were to antagonize the local stakeholders.  Let me explain the fundamentals.  We believe the old model of managing parks in Africa has been most unsuccessful.  Only those Parks will survive the explosion of populations and the encroachment of modern technology, where the Park is actually defended by the local groups as it is in their interest to protect that area.  And with the development of Democracy in Africa it becomes very important that voters and not only systems protect these Parks.

We also work through a system of creating interest from the beginning of our work.  By providing work (in OMO app. 100 jobs), training (in English for instance), local business set ups, schools, more efficient store keeping, water well digging, micro finance, help with vet nary support.  All scouts will be retrained to make them community oriented and to train them in using their radios to help emergencies in a village.  
                                                                                                                            
Recently I visited the Mursi’s again and together with the Elders we made a list of what their major concerns are and how we could help them solving these.  To give you some examples: they said their wish to hunt antelope was not based on the hunt but on the skin for their wives.  Asked if they would be happy with impala skins from South Africa it was affirmative.  As giraffe have been nearly exterminated they agreed we should find alternatives for the tail hairs.  All zebra’s in OMO are gone and they regretted that, but explained it was hunger that made them kill these.  They would like to see them back as they saw them – and so much more game – in their youth.  We can and will do that.

Yes, we can do something about hunger by introducing better inventory systems and help develop markets.  Nothing will be easy but it can be done.  We have done it in Barotseland, Zambia.  Also very remote and very difficult to manage, but the Lozis will tell anybody that the best thing that happened there in the last 50 years was the arrival of African Parks.

Essential in this all was the Trust we have developed in these discussions there and in OMO.  This was much helped by making clear we are not involved in any action or event East of the OMO river and simply by listening to each other in those days.  They understand we are going to rebuild this Park together with monthly meetings, sitting down and listening to each other’s problems, suggestions, and solutions.

The second issue often raised with us in this imperfect world, is if African Parks could force local Governments on all sorts of issues, including resettlement.  As we manage State Assets we can not be seen by any Government as interfering.  We would simply have to leave the country.  To give you an example: when I was living in the USA it was quickly made clear to me by the USA government that I could not protest as a foreigner against the bombing of Hanoi (that’s how old I am).  How would I fare today if I strongly protested against the American embargo on Cuba, the war in Iraq?  Only two years ago I was deported from the USA by force on that subject (Cuba) within 2 hours of arrival although international law supported my case.  Together with Amnesty International and Green Peace I work in a number of areas that I am sure are also close to your heart, but not under the African Parks Foundation.
 
If African Parks wants to help the local people in very remote areas by our Park system, and the flora and fauna, we can not risk being “thrown out”.  And also this: the more we can show that we can manage a Park together with the traditional tribes, the less the reason for a Government to resettle.  Non-traditional settlers that moved in for money reasons before we come, raises again another problem.  We would not take part in those decisions  either, want to be excluded , but provide help to resettled and non resettled people.  And yes, we do not need autocratically decided boundaries of a Park.  The Democratic process needs it for legislation.  We want to come to “win - win “solutions inside and outside of a Park and it is up to the State to determine those boundaries, not us.

My apologies for this long letter, but a telephone here does not work well.  I wanted to explain to you our motives and unusual approach.  I read in your mail your concern and commitment.  I would hope that all the people you reach will support us and the local tribes in giving them a choice for their future.  It would be great if your “protest movement “could become our firm supporters.  You are most warmly invited to come and evaluate our work after we have been there for half a year, say in August.

If you would like to check on my personal integrity I invite you to ask anyone in Holland.  There I am widely known as the unusual man who says what he does and does what he says.

Wishing all of us well in our work in OMO,

Kind regards
Paul van Vlissingen Dr. h.c.
Chairman African Parks