“¿Por dónde va a pasar el elefante? Va a pasar en la aldea.”: Bienestar humano, desarrollo y las políticas de la naturaleza en Chiawa, Zambia.

This chapter considers the ‘politics of nature’ in Chiawa, Zambia. One representation dominates: the ‘human-wildlife conflict’. This evokes a clash of interests between the local people and the wild animals they live amongst. That such a tension exists is not in doubt, as people seek on a daily basis to mitigate the risk of personal injury and damage to livelihoods by wild animals. What this chapter suggests, however, is that framing the issue in terms of a ‘human-wildlife conflict’ masks a more fundamental conflict between humans, across great differences of wealth and power. The chapter closes by reflecting on the value of focusing jointly on the politics of nature and wellbeing, and the implications this might have for how wellbeing should be conceived.