The usual apologies for cross-posting.� Please distribute to those who might be interested. Thx.
� � capi...@conservation#media*discourse:� Exploring the theory and practice of ‘conservation 2.0’ � Panel Proposal and CfP for AAG meetings, April 2011, Seattle, USA � Organized by: Bram Büscher (ISS, Netherlands), Robert Fletcher (University of Peace, Costa Rica) and Wolfram Dressler (University of Queensland, Australia) � � Conservation is at a crossroads. Familiar conservation approaches – particularly fortress and community conservation – that have been widely critiqued as environmental problems continue to intensify around the globe. While many novel hybridized versions of the older conservation paradigms are emerging, we now see the field of conservation rapidly ‘reinventing’ itself in ways not yet clearly understood. What is clear is that this ‘conservation 2.0’ very much relies on an increasing conjunction between conservation and neoliberal capitalism, as represented by such mechanisms as ecotourism, payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity derivatives and new conservation finance mechanisms, species banking, carbon trade, geoengineering, conservation social media, and so forth.� While the academic literature analyzing these trends is growing quickly, it will require continuing and concerted efforts to keep abreast of the latest developments and interpret them critically. � This panel thus seeks to critically engage with the market panacea in environmental policy and conservation in the context of past and present developments in neoliberal capitalism. The recent surge in the scholarly work analyzing these trends has offered many new insights, yet there remains a crucial task to understand the way in which conservation markets are governed. In particular, we invite proposals that deal with the problem of how new ‘neoliberal conservation’ initiatives and policies are governed and regulated in decidedly unneoliberal ways, and how this inconsistency is resolved and/or obfuscated within neoliberal discourse. Similarly, how cutting-edge conservation policies may be appropriating neoliberal strategies for alternative ends, as well as transcending a neoliberal approach in novel ways, remains crucial to investigate as well. � In sum, the panel aims to address the following core questions: � Ø� What new neoliberal mechanisms are being pursued in order to further integrate conservation with capitalism? Ø� How, then, does this make conservation capitalist (in theory and in practice)? Ø� How does neoliberalism manifest differently in specific conservation policies and contexts? How are these neoliberal mechanisms pursued by various actors? Ø� In what ways is a neoliberal mode of conservation governance propagated beyond capitalist markets? Ø� What is the relationship between neoliberal theory and actual practice in particular contexts? How is neoliberal conservation legitimized and popularized among diverse groups of stakeholders (from local communities and grassroots NGOs to international policy-makers and ‘business’)? Ø� Why does neoliberalism, despite frequent failure to achieve stated goals, appear so resistant to internal critique? Ø� What new means of engagement and/or analysis might effectively address this resistance and encourage more self-reflection on the part of neoliberal proponents? Ø� � How are neoliberal mechanisms being appropriated, hybridized and/or used in non-neoliberal ways to pursue innovative outcomes? Ø� How is neoliberalism being challenged and/or transcended in new conservation strategies? � � Paper proposals are due Oct 15. Please send a 250-300 word proposal, with title, contact information, and three keywords as a Word attachment to [email protected], [ mailto:[email protected] ][email protected], or [email protected]. Please note: This panel is intended as a preliminary to the conference ‘Nature™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in Environmental Policy and Conservation’, organized from 30 June – 2 July 2011 at the ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands. If interested to participate, please go to www.iss.nl/nature2011 or www.worldecologyresearch.org for more information.� Those forced to choose between participation in the proposed AAG panel and the Nature™ conference are encouraged to favor the latter. � --------------------------------------------- Dr. Bram Büscher Lecturer in Environment & Sustainable Development International Institute of Social Studies Erasmus University Kortenaerkade 12 2518 AX The Hague The Netherlands T +31 (0)70 4260 596 [email protected] http://www.iss.nl/buscher Please refer to: http://www.iss.nl/content/view/full/2873 for ISS’ email disclaimer.
