Fixed ideas in fluid contexts: research and management of olive ridley turtles in Odisha, India

In the domain of wildlife conservation, and as the main theme of this conference also suggests, it is believed that science has important insights to offer those involved in the management of coastal/marine areas and species.... [ view full abstract ]

In the domain of wildlife conservation, and as the main theme of this conference also suggests, it is believed that science has important insights to offer those involved in the management of coastal/marine areas and species. However, scientists often lament the lack of science-driven policy and management measures. This gap between rigorous understanding and the ability to drive actual changes in practice (i.e. knowledge and power) is often attributed to a ‘communication gap’. This is particularly the case in developing countries where scientists and managers are located in different institutions and the former are usually more highly educated than the latter. However, in this paper, I suggest that this dissonance between scientists and managers is the result of a fundamental clash between different types of rationality: one that accepts fluidity as a natural feature and another that seeks to impose fixity. I trace the ways in which this has affected the conservation of olive ridley turtles in two globally important breeding habitats (Gahirmatha and Rushikulya located in Odisha, eastern India) and discuss ongoing attempts to address these debates around what constitutes ‘rational’ conservation.