Showing papers in "Journal of Political Ecology in 1998"

Whose Knowledge, Whose nature? Biodiversity, Conservation, and the Political Ecology of Social Movements

Abstract: This paper proposes a framework for rethinking the conservation and appropriation of biological diversity from the perspective of social movements. It argues that biodiversity, although with concrete biophysical referents, is a discourse of recent origin. This discourse fosters a complex network of diverse actors, from international organizations and NGOs to local communities and social movements. Four views of biodiversity produced by this network (centered on global resource management, national sovereignity, biodemocracy, and cultural autonomy, respectively) are discussed in the first part of the paper. The second part focuses on the cultural autonomy perspective developed by social movements. It examines in detail the rise and development of the social movement of black communities in the Pacific rainforest region of Colombia. This movement, it is argued, articulates through their practice an entire political ecology of sustainability and conservation. The main elements of this political ecology are discussed and presented as a viable alternative to dominant frameworks. Key words: political ecology, social movements, rainforest, biodiversity, afrocolombians, global networks.

Earth’s Insights: A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics from the Mediterranean Basin to the Australian Outback by J. Baird Callicott, with a Foreword by Tom Hayden (1997) Berkeley : University of California Press. Reviewed by Dipak R. Pant

Abstract: 16 Vol.5 1998 Journal of Political Ecology positively impact property rights reforms. “Sociocultural, economic, political and spiritual” development should be better rather than more. Finally, Stevenson, Burkett and San Myint discuss how what they call “integrated communications and information technology” such as digital video applications can expedite connections between local communities on a global scale and encourage decentralization. They provide the example of the Local/Global Netweaving Program in Australia, founded on the principles of connection between local and global communities, participation in both local and global activities, communication, and practical action. Importantly, the authors stress that interactive information technology must be supported by a framework of use in line with values that recognize equality of persons “irrespective of economic background, race, gender, geography, or other characteristics.” The alternative, they insist, is a future in which machines shape and control societies. This scattered and uneven collection of essays will be most useful for nonspecialist readers interested in examples of local approaches to sustainable community development. The importance of quality of life in notions of sustainability, the effectiveness of community-level governance, and Community Land Trusts as an alternative to wholly public or private home ownership are particularly memorable topics. Although it is not well suited for the classroom or as an academic resource, the casual reader by judiciously skipping about with an interest in the issues likely will become better informed and possibly inspired to investigate further.

The Value of a River

Abstract: The Skokomish river was once the most productive salmon river in Puget Sound, but since 1926 the North Fork Skokomish has been diverted for hydropower. The Skokomish tribe has fought unsuccessfully to restore natural flows. At issue is the “non-market value” of the river’s biological productivity. The value of the river as “natural capital” for the tribe is analyzed from an historical, ethnographic, and ecological perspective. Keywords: non-market values, natural capital, salmon, Pacific Northwest, Skokomish, riverine ecology, ecosystem management.

Lobster in the Rain Forest: The Political Ecology of Miskito Wage Labor and Agricultural Deforestation

Abstract: A political ecological research orientation elucidates the effects of Miskito wage work in the Honduran lobster export industry. Miskito wage labor conserves local rain forest by displacing agricultural deforestation pressure into wages. These wages, however, are earned in an industry that depletes Caribbean lobster populations and which increases risk of injury and death to divers. Key words: political ecology; deforestation; swidden agriculture; fisheries; conservation

The Environmental Effects of Policy Change in the West African Savanna: Resettlement, Structural Adjustment and Conservation in Western Mali

Abstract: This article broadens analytic perspectives on the effects of government interventions by looking at the interaction of two distinct but simultaneous policy initiatives: involuntary resettlement and structural adjustment. Case study data from the Bafing valley in Mali show that simultaneous implementation of these two initiatives reinforced the economic growth of the zone but increased negative environmental effects. Key Words: Mali, resettlement, structural adjustment, sahel, environmental degradation, economic development, river basin development, privatization, liberalization.

In the Society of Nature: A Native Ecology in Amazonia by Philippe Descola. 1994 (paperback 1996). Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press. Reviewed by William H. Fisher

Abstract: fisheries managers to understand this has led to another instance of the “tragedy of the commons.” A final example from the book represents an unusual perspective in environmental literature. Peter W. Huber’s “Safety and the Second Best: The Hazards of Public Risk Management in the Courts” (1985) asserts that manufacturers, engineers, and scientists provide goods that are designed to be increasingly safe for public use. Huber concludes “The technological community, far from ushering in an endless series of new terrors, can rightfully claim full credit for the extraordinary safe society it has built. Huber also asserts “the reality is that life has grown safer not because of the legal system but despite it.” These statements will surely spark spirited discussions among those who adopt this book for classes. The volume would have benefited from an additional section focusing on the environmental ethics and laws from outside the U.S., giving readers a clearer perspective on the unique character of U.S. environmental history and affairs. An international comparison of cases would also help to explore the successes and limitations of efforts to export a U.S. model of environmental protection to other national contexts. This is a minor criticism. The book provides a valuable service by compiling in one well-organized volume a selection of key historical and contemporary selections on law and the environment.