Abstract
The fractured management of the Matobo Hills World Heritage Site in Zimbabwe provides an example of the challenges encountered when managing a large area with diverse cultures and landscapes. The rugged area, home to humans for millennia, is today beset by problems rooted in its past. Multiple stakeholders, with sometimes antagonistic agendas, lay claim to the area while government agencies tasked with the development and protection of the Matobo Hills try to maintain their control and dominance. The nomination and management of the Matobo Hills as a World Heritage landscape have helped to resolve some of these tensions while exposing or amplifying others. Utilizing a historical perspective, this chapter explores these complex issues from diverse local perspectives, while also briefly contrasting the issues with other areas in Africa and suggesting possible routes of amelioration for the long-term management of the area in a manner that respects and involves all stakeholders.
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Hubbard, P., Taruvinga, P., Nyathi, P., Makuvaza, S. (2018). Conservation, Stakeholders and Local Politics: The Management of the Matobo Hills World Heritage Site, South Western Zimbabwe. In: Makuvaza, S. (eds) Aspects of Management Planning for Cultural World Heritage Sites. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69856-4_12
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