Conservation

History doesn’t have to repeat itself: Looking back at the origins of biodiversity conservation shows that decolonization is necessary for just and effective steps forward

/ Sara / 2 Comments

Last week, I spoke at my department's weekly seminar about the need to situate conservation as a field within both local and historical contexts. My argument was that this context is integral for preventing conservation efforts from causing harm in the future; essentially, we need to learn from the past in order to find ways … Continue reading History doesn’t have to repeat itself: Looking back at the origins of biodiversity conservation shows that decolonization is necessary for just and effective steps forward

Decolonizing Conservation: A Reading List

/ Sara

The goal of the reading list is to help well-meaning non-Indigenous folks like myself educate ourselves on the colonial, white supremacist, and imperialist roots of biodiversity conservation around the world. Many of us work in places with long histories of occupation and colonialism, where the impacts of colonialism are still ongoing, and no matter how well-intentioned, conservation work tends to continue those legacies. In order to stop perpetuating harm to Indigenous communities around the world, we need to start by understanding the many ways the work we do and the assumptions we make are informed by these historical frameworks.