The big picture – a political ecology comic essay

by Zully Rosadio When looking at a picture, asking "What does it NOT show?" is as important as observing what it shows. Complex realities, such as those of Samburu people, their livestock and wildlife in Kenya, appear by posing the key question 'Why?' Zully Rosadio holds a bachelor degree in Biology as well as in …

Disrupted Landscapes: State, Peasants and the Politics of Land in Postsocialist Romania

by Marco Armiero How many times have we repeated to each other that there is a need, an urgent need, for a political ecology of post-socialist countries? Thereby, we should warmly welcome Stefan Dorondel's insightful ethnographic research on two villages in post-socialist Romania: Disrupted Landscapes: State, Peasants and the Politics of Land in Postsocialist Romania (Bergham Press, …

Why “Warning to Humanity” gets the socio-ecological crisis (and its solutions) wrong

by Salvatore De Rosa and Jevgeniy Bluwstein The "Warning to Humanity" signed by more than 15.000 scientists calls for action to save the planet proposing elitist environmentalism and missing the real target. Instead, scientists should analyse the roots of the socio-ecological crisis and join the grassroots struggles pushing  for structural changes from local to global …

The Trump moment in environmental conservation

By Bram Büscher and Robert Fletcher* If environmental conservation doesn’t face the current political movement by becoming much more radical there will soon be precious little biodiversity to conserve. Global conservation is at a crossroads. Indeed: it has been for quite some time already. And now we have Donald Trump as U.S. President. Clearly, this …

Protecting nature in an unequal world

By Prakash Kashwan* Democracies can do better than to give into the mirage of "Wilsonian Enclosures", which envision half of the planet or more in nature reserves. The excessive focus on such areas detracts attention from developing alternative conservation strategies. Renowned biologist E.O. Wilson advocates setting aside “half the planet in reserve, or more” exclusively …

The trouble with rewilding…

By Irma Allen* A rewilding movement that bases itself on arguments around overpopulation, without interrogating the power structures that are enabling it, is in danger of failing to generate the kinds of solidarities, social justice outcomes and progressive visions of wildness that we so desperately need. Rewilding is big news in environmental conservation. At the …

The other Balkan route

A group of 'kayaktvists' from all over Europe recently paddled 390 km of Balkan rivers, in an exciting and creative expression of protest against the looming 'dam tsunami' on the peninsula.  Six countries, 23 rivers, 390 river kilometres: on Friday, May 14, a very unique activity ended in the Albanian capital of Tirana – the …

Decoupling: A Dangerous Fantasy

By Robert Fletcher * Decoupling offers a dangerous neoliberal fantasy that we can overcome environmental limits to indefinite economic growth. It has been more than half a century since Frantz Fanon famously asserted that “what counts today, the question which is looming on the horizon, is the need for a redistribution of wealth.” The neoliberal …

Whose game is it anyway? Critical reflections on anti-poaching narratives

by Benedict Singleton* We need to find or create media narratives that don’t depend on shock and crisis. Designating particular hunting practices as poaching is an inherently political act, which is not always simple or just. ‘Hunting the elephant hunters’ was the title of an email I received recently. It invited me to contribute money …

The ‘Blue Heart of Europe’ beats in the Balkans

Europe’s last wild rivers are under threat from dam construction—yet hardly anyone is aware of it. Ten days ago I defied train cancellations and border restrictions in Central and South-Eastern Europe to make my way to Belgrade, Serbia, where the Balkan Rivers Days took place from 25 to 27 September. The meeting was organized by the …