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 …

A short history of the enclosures in Ethiopia

By tracing the history of enclosures in Ethiopia we learn how common property was first turned into state property that now enables the transfer of land to private investors. Such historical political ecological analysis can help civil society organisations learn from past social struggles against the enclosures and for the commons.* The 2007/08 financial crisis, …

Interview with researcher Jonah Wedekind on agrarian transformation in Ethiopia

by Giorgos Velegrakis This interview was originally given to Giorgos Velegrakis for the Greek environmental magazine Oikotrives. Giorgos Velegrakis (G.V): For a few years now Ethiopia has been one of the countries which has been strongly associated with the phenomena of land grabbing. Why? Jonah Wedekind (J.W.): Land grabbing has become a popular term since …