Constructing nature as a world heritage: the scientific construction of the Orangutan in Sumatra (Indonesia)

• Published in: Natures sciences sociétés (Montrouge) Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 132 - 143
• Main Authors: Ruysschaert, Denis, Salles, Denis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 01-04-2022
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; technologies; conservation de la biodiversité; Indonésie; orangs-outans; orangutan; social construction; biodiversity conservation; construction sociale; Indonesia
• ISSN: 1240-1307; 1765-2979
• DOI: 10.1051/nss/2022037

Our research aims to investigate the construction of nature as a world heritage, in particular regarding the orangutan of Indonesia, and explains its concrete implications. A coherent set of elements argue for the conservation of orangutans: their habitat concentration on land unsuitable for agriculture, ingrained local beliefs and the existence of protected areas. However, international scientists closely linked to the conservation movement work at establishing the orangutan as a natural heritage. They developed complex models to this end based on the construction of indicators (numbers, trends, distribution, scarcity) that uphold a perception of scarcity and imminent extinction. They also consolidate their hegemony over the production of knowledge, thus marginalizing the Indonesian actors in the process, and omit fundamental decline factors. As a consequence, the patrimonialization approach makes the management of coexistence between humans and the orangutan impossible. This research suggests that constructing the great apes as a world legacy has problematic concrete implications: imposition of technocratic knowledge, dispossession of the local actors, omission of factors underlying destruction, and ultimately, impossibility of finding solutions for a practical livable coexistence between humans and the great apes.
Cette recherche vise à comprendre la construction de la nature comme un héritage mondial, particulièrement pour l’orang-outan à Sumatra, puis à en expliquer les implications concrètes. Un ensemble cohérent d’éléments plaident pour la conservation des orangs-outans : un habitat concentré sur des terres impropres à l’agriculture, des croyances locales restées vives et l’existence d’aires protégées. Pour autant, les scientifiques internationaux, intimement liés au mouvement de la conservation, se sont engagés dans une patrimonialisation de l’orang-outan. Ce travail de patrimonialisation entretient une perception de rareté et d’extinction imminente en construisant et mobilisant des indicateurs (nombre, tendance, répartition, rareté) basés sur des modèles complexes. Il conforte aussi leur hégémonie sur la production des savoirs, élude les principaux facteurs explicatifs et rend impossible la coexistence pratique entre l’humain et l’orang-outan.