Revisiting the Lorax complex: deep ecology and biophilia in cross-cultural perspective

Abstract

By supporting creation of protected areas, conservation projects are known to bring economic prosperity to the local communities, but also incite criticism. A common theme in the critique of conservation organizations is the proximity to neoliberal agencies seeking to capitalize on environment, which disadvantage the local communities. Community participation has been proposed as a panacea for neoliberal conservation. However, conservation efficacy is not always contingent on the community involvement and reliance on ‘traditional’ practices in protected areas has not always benefitted biodiversity. Simultaneously, critique of conservation ignores evidence of indigenous activism as well as alternative forms of environmentalism which provide a broader ethical support base for conservation. This article highlights the challenges and contradictions, as well as offers hopeful directions in order to more effectively ground compassionate conservation.

Keywords:

• biodiversity conservation
• deep ecology
• ecological justice
• environmental justice
• environmentalism

Notes

1. Aside from indigenous non-Western cultural traditions, contemporary urban minorities and ethnic communities are as likely to take on vegetarianism, animal rights, or indeed actions to combat climate change as white educated consumers. The blog of Vegans of Color (http://vegansofcolor.wordpress.com/tag/animal-rights/) illustrates this:

If transition away from automobile culture, towards renewable energies, and towards composting and water recycling are part of the green movement that might buy us all more time on the world as we know it, than veganism – a veganism cognizant of the human and Earth liberation elements of its actualization – also must be part of that same movement. And it has to be about as many of us humans as possible.

Since we pursue those things which materially and otherwise most benefit us, as do all other creatures, then a veganism that appeals to our longevity and the leveling of the balance of power in human societies should theoretically find mass appeal. Veganism in explicit combination with human rights, or veganism plus human liberation, can be understood as Liberation Veganism …

Wider application of this ‘food for thought’ is the idea of justice – and injustice done to the weaker party, be they local impoverished populations or felled trees.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Helen Kopnina

Dr Kopnina, Helen (Ph.D., Cambridge University, 2002) is currently employed at The Hague University of Applied Science in The Netherlands. She is a coordinator and lecturer of Sustainable Business program, and a researcher in the fields of environmental education and environmental social sciences. Kopnina is the author of over 30 peer-reviewed articles and (co)author and (co)editor of nine books, including East to West Migration (Ashgate, 2005), Crossing European Boundaries (Berghahn, 2006), Environmental Anthropology Today (Routledge, 2011), Anthropology of Environmental Education (Nova, 2012), Environmental Anthropology: Future Directions (Routledge, 2013), and forthcoming Sustainable Business: Key Issues (Routledge, 2014) and Sustainability: Key Issues (Routledge, 2015).