Trust related dynamics in contested land use A longitudinal study towards trust and distrust in intergroup conflicts in the Baviaanskloof, South Africa Jasper R. de Vries a, ⁎, Noelle Aarts b,c , Anne Marike Lokhorst c , Raoul Beunen c , Josefien Oude Munnink c a Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands b University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands c Wageningen University, The Netherlands abstract article info Article history: Received 2 April 2014 Received in revised form 28 July 2014 Accepted 29 July 2014 Available online xxxx Keywords: Trust Intergroup relations Social identity theory (SIT) Nature conservation Conflict Using insights about in-group and intergroup dynamics from social identity theory and sociology, we studied trust dynamics in intergroup relations in the Baviaanskloof (South Africa) over time. We conclude that in- group interpretations of intergroup interactions contribute to the lack of trust and ongoing reconstruction of distrust towards the other group. Constructions of group identities and group history reinforce differences between groups, shaping expectations about the behaviour of in-group and out-group members. In this process, seemingly unrelated past events and contextual changes were connected as uncontested arguments as to why the other group could not be trusted. The lack of trust and growing distrust stabilised group dynamics and thus distrust towards the other group. These inter- and in-group dynamics explain why adapting to major environmental changes, and future collaboration becomes more difficult in conflict situations. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Prologue Farmers: ‘from the beginning there was not much trust [in] the project manager, the mafia, or whoever was involved … they wanted to bulldozer us out [of the Baviaanskloof].’ And ‘Maybe I am an old farmer, but … I got the idea of the PMU [governmental conservation organisa- tion], nature conservationists, and all that stuff on one side and 17 farmers on the other side, fighting against each other over the years.’ Nature conservationists: ‘There are always problems with farmers! You know, you are talking about agriculture versus conservation.’ ‘There is always a mistrust barrier because of the conflicts that happened 20 years ago.’ These quotes illustrate the relation between two groups in a conflict over nature restoration and the expansion of a nature reserve on pri- vately owned agricultural land in the Baviaanskloof, South Africa. Such developments take place in various forms in South Africa and have a large influence on the countryside and its inhabitants (Brooks et al., 2011). The quotes show that in this case the relation was characterised by an enormous amount of mutual distrust that developed over a long period of time. Recent attempts at planning and policymaking were seriously hampered by this discordant trust relation between the most important groups in the area (Crane, 2006). Following these quotes, the question arises: How did this distrust emerge and develop between the two groups? 1. Introduction The Baviaanskloof (Baboons gorge) is an isolated valley in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The mountains on both sides are part of the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve (BNR), whereas the valley floor around the river and the surrounding hill slopes are used for agriculture. These areas are regarded as an important link in the Baviaanskloof eco- system. In recent history, the BNR's managing nature conservation orga- nisations made various attempts to incorporate the valley floor into the reserve, as this would allow species access to the river and adjacent grasslands. In these attempts, the nature conservation organisations de- ployed various strategies ranging from land acquisition to stewardship programmes. As most farmers wanted to continue farming in the valley, these attempts led to a wide range of negotiations, discussions, and per- sistent conflicts between farmers and nature conservationists. Negotiations and conflicts between groups over land-use practices, nature restoration, and natural resources regularly occur (Vermeulen and Cotula, 2010; Idrissou et al., 2011; Peters, 2013). One of the charac- teristics of intergroup negotiations and conflicts is that the groups in- volved hold strong, diverging perspectives on the issue at stake, their own role, and the role of the other group or groups (James, 2000). In Forest Policy and Economics xxx (2014) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: Jasper.devries@wur.nl (J.R. de Vries). FORPOL-01175; No of Pages 9 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2014.07.014 1389-9341/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Policy and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol Please cite this article as: de Vries, J.R., et al., Trust related dynamics in contested land use, Forest Policy and Economics (2014), http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.forpol.2014.07.014