The Need for Indigenous Knowledge in Environmental Impact Assessment: The Case of Ghana (African Studies)

Most non-industrialized countries are implementing institutional frameworks for environmental impact assessment that are based on Western models of knowledge, science, modernity, and development, says Appiah-Opoku (geography, U. of Alabama-Tuscaloosa), and the ways that indigenous people view nature are too often dismissed as an earlier and therefore inferior stage in human cultural progress. He argues that if development means improving existing ways of doing things to make the processes more efficient and productive rather than simply acquiring the symbols or signs of modernity then indigenous approaches to environmental conservation can serve as the foundation of a practical alternative to Western approaches. Using the African country Ghana as a case study, he explains the role of indigenous institutions in developing such an approach. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)