2012: Towards a consolidated critique of Neoliberal Biodiversity Conservation. (original) (raw)

Towards a synthesized critique of neoliberal conservation.

Capitalism, Nature, Socialism 23(2): 4-30. , 2012

The aim of this paper is to provide a synthesized critique of neoliberal biodiversity conservation. This, we think, is necessary for two reasons. First, most work on the intersection of neoliberalism, capitalism, and non-human nature(s) has focused on neoliberal natures (Castree 2008a; Castree 2008b; Heynen and Robbins 2005; McCarthy and Prudham 2004), neoliberal ecologies (Castree 2007), and neoliberal environments (Heynen, Prudham, McCarthy, and Robbins 2007), not on neoliberal conservation. These literatures explore ways in which natural realms are transformed through and for capital accumulation. McCarthy and Prudham (2004, 279), for example, refer to neoliberal nature as ‘‘the politics of transforming and governing nature under neoliberalism’’; Heynen and Robbins (2005, 6) refer to the acceleration of ‘‘the ongoing commodification of natural things’’; while Heynen, et al. (2007, 3) refer to neoliberal environments as ‘‘the ways that attempts to ‘stretch’ and ‘deepen’. . . the reach of commodity circulation rely on the re-working of environmental governance and on entrenching the commodification of nature, and vice versa.’’ Our synthesis, by contrast, focuses on neoliberal conservation as an amalgamation of ideology and techniques informed by the premise that natures can only be ‘‘saved’’ through their submission to capital and its subsequent revaluation in capitalist terms, what McAfee (1999) has aptly labeled ‘‘selling nature to save it.’’ Put another way, neoliberal conservation shifts the focus from how nature is used in and through the expansion of capitalism, to how nature is conserved in and through the expansion of capitalism. ...

2007: Neoliberal conservation: A brief introduction

Conservation and Society, 2007

The growing body of work on the'neoliberalisation of nature'does not as yet pay adequate attention to conservation policy and its impacts. Simi 衍 arly, studies of conservation have much to learn by placing conservation policies in the context of broader ...

Neoliberal conservation: A brief introduction

Conservation and Society, 2007

Nature™ Inc.: Environmental Conservation in the Neoliberal Age (2014)

University of Arizona Press, 2014

"Can “market forces” solve the world’s environmental problems? The stakes are undeniably high. With wildlife populations and biodiversity riches threatened across the globe, it is obvious that new and innovative methods of addressing the crisis are vital to the future of the planet. But is “the market” the answer? As public funding for conservation efforts grows ever scarcer and the private sector is brimming with ideas about how its role can grow—along with its profits—market forces have found their way into environmental management to a degree unimaginable only a few years ago. Ecotourism, biodiversity derivatives, payment for environmental services (PES), and new conservation finance instruments such as species banking, carbon trading, and biodiversity derivatives are only some of the market mechanisms that have sprung into being. This is “Nature™ Inc.”: a fast-growing frontier of networks, activities, knowledge, and regulations that are rapidly changing the relations between people and nature on both global and local scales. Nature™ Inc. brings together cutting-edge research by respected scholars from around the world to analyze how “neoliberal conservation” is reshaping human–nature relations that have been fashioned over two centuries of capitalist development. Contributors synthesize and contribute to a growing body of academic literature that cuts across the disciplinary boundaries of geography, sociology, anthropology, political science, and development studies to critically interrogate the increasing emphasis on neoliberal market-based mechanisms in environmental conservation. They all grapple with one overriding question: can capitalist market mechanisms resolve the environmental problems they have helped create? "

Neo-liberal Capitalistic Policies in Modern Conservation and the Ultimate Commodification of Nature

Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography

The recent changes in global politics and the advancement of science and technology, have paved way for the modification and commodification of nature. The development of capitalism, and changes in modern conservation ideologies occurred at the same period, which is more than just a co-incidence. The capitalistic policies in conservation are shaping a new perspective of global environmentalism, which is presented as a spectacle. Whether these capitalistic policies stand the purpose is often questionable. In this work, I am going to discuss two main neo liberal practices in modern conservation, namely protected areas with reference to eco-tourism, and the Payment for Ecosystem Services with reference to REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Forest Degradation and Deforestation), which shape modern environmentalism. These policies in modern environmentalism have made it easier to commodify nature, failing to understand that indigenous people living in forests do not have economic conditions, they have livelihood issues. So, The neo-liberal capitalistic policies has led to the loss of intrinsic value of nature, affecting the indigenous lifestyles and serves as an instrument of modern imperialism, acting as a boon to the 'Transnational capital class' and a curse to the indigenous people.

Political Ecology: Challenging Neoliberal Conservation

This article attempts to explore the relationship that has been growing during the past decades between capitalism and conservation from a political ecology perspective. It argues that due to this interconnectedness between the two, the commodification of natural resources has become the major result of conservational practices, which often leads to environmental injustice allowing neoliberalism to interfere with the goals of an integrous environmental protection. The article consider Political Ecology as the field of study that challenges neoliberal conservation practices by exposing truths about how the majority of organizations around the world are claiming to be protecting the ecosystem while the hidden reality is mainly based on economic growth. Key words: Political Ecology, Neoliberalism, Conservation, Environmentalism

A review of the social impacts of neoliberal conservation: Formations, inequalities, contestations

In recent years, perhaps the two most prominent debates in geography on issues of biodiversity conservation have hinged upon, firstly, the positive and negative social impacts of conservation projects on human populations, and, secondly, the apparent neoliberalisation of conservation. Yet so far there have been few explicit linkages drawn between these debates. This paper moves both debates forward by presenting the first review of how the neoliberalisation of conservation has affected the kinds of impacts that conservation projects entail for local communities. It finds that, whilst there are important variegations within neoliberal conservation, processes of neoliberalisation nevertheless tend to produce certain recurring trends in their social impacts. Firstly, neoliberal conservation often involves novel forms of power, particularly those that seek to reshape local subjectivities in accordance with both conservationist and neoliberal-economic values. Secondly, it relies on greater use of use of representation and spectacle to produce commodities and access related markets, which can both create greater negative social impacts and offer new opportunities for local people to contest and reshape conservation projects. Thirdly, neoliberal conservation projects frequently widen the distribution of social impacts by interacting with pre-existing social, economic, and political inequalities. Accordingly, the paper illuminates how neoliberal approaches to conservation generate novel opportunities and constraints for struggles toward more socially and environmentally just forms of biodiversity preservation.

Neoliberal Conservation (2020)

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2020

Neoliberal conservation describes a dynamic wherein prominent organizations around the world concerned with biodiversity protection have increasingly adopted strategies and mechanisms that seek to reconcile conservation with economic development by harnessing economic markets as putative mechanisms for financing nature conservation. Since the turn of the millennium, a vibrant discussion around this topic has arisen across anthropology, geography, and related fields. Within this discussion, the rise of neoliberal conservation is generally treated as part of more widespread processes of neoliberalization occurring throughout the global economy since the 1980s, promoting a constellation of core principles including privatization, marketization, decentralization, deregulation, and commodification. Neoliberal conservation arose out of a growing concern among prominent conservation organizations to include poverty reduction and economic development within their mandates as well as to capture additional funding via partnerships with wealthy corporations. It is commonly implemented through a series of so-called market-based instruments (MBIs), including ecotourism, payment for environmental services (PES), and biodiversity and wetlands banking, as well as financial mechanisms such as green bonds. However, evidence suggests that promotion of neoliberal conservation rarely achieves intended outcomes in actual implementation. This has led some researchers to argue that these activities are thus not neoliberal at all, while others defend this characterization within an understanding of neoliberalization as a variegated process. Researchers also point to the rise of right-wing authoritarianism as a potential challenge to neoliberal hegemony, yet the implications of this trend for conservation policy and practice remain little explored. Thus, the important open question is raised of whether neoliberal conservation was the product of a particular political era that is coming to an end, and if so, what will arise in its aftermath.

2012: Towards a consolidated critique of Neoliberal Biodiversity Conservation. (original) (raw)

Related papers