Tutela ambientale e identità culturali: il parco "contrattuale" di Richtersveld in Sudafrica

The establishment of the Richersveld National Park in Namaqualand in 1991 - the first “contractual” park in South Africa - has been lauded as the outcome of a democratic negotiation which brought the local indigenous population to share equally in management decisions. But underneath this image of success there is a much more complex story of on-going struggles over land and identity. A close examination of environmental questions in the area is a key to understand social and political issues. Residents have emphasized their descent from the original Nama inhabitants of the area in order to affirm their inalienable rights on the land. But the assertion of Nama identity is, clearly, part of the current, widespread debate about the meaning and significance of "coloured" identity and a sensitive statement about the ambiguity and flexibility of social boundaries in the post-apartheid South Africa.