Forest histories and nuclear futures: mapping resources, value, and change in southern Tanzania

A critical re-examination of the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania's oldest and largest wilderness area, reveals it not as a primordial forest but as a 'sacrifice zone' shaped by colonial conservation models and extractive ambitions. The study highlights how the heritagization process constructs an idealized past while advancing specific visions for the future, often at odds with local realities. Despite widespread support for the proposed uranium mine, research shows deep uncertainty and ambivalence among neighboring communities about its long-term impacts on wildlife, land, and water resources. The work challenges simplistic narratives opposing conservation and extraction, emphasizing the need to account for intersecting natural resource values across spatial and temporal scales.

Postar, S. (2018). Forest histories and nuclear futures: mapping resources, value, and change in southern Tanzania [University of Oxford]. https://doi.org/10.5287/ORA-YRYQ7A11G