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Description:

The ideas of "natural resources" and their "conservation" are incredibly powerful in popular and academic discourses alike, yet political ecology has consistently problematized how such "natural resources" are taken for granted in mainstream discourses, rather than understood as socially and historically produced categories resulting from power-laden knowledge and practices. Similarly, "conservation" continues to frame the mainstream pursuit of socio-ecological goals, even while political ecology has demonstrated the problematic ways in which conservationist discourses and practices often become embroiled in the displacement of peasants, indigenous peoples, and other poor communities, and greenwash the intensification of exploitative and unsustainable production relations. Yet there is a real need to curb deforestation, prevent the depletion of aquifers, etc., even while we pursue environmental and climate justice and the provision of life essentials for many people who suffer needles deprivations. What is the current state of the political ecology of natural resources and conservation? What are theoretical innovations and new empirical findings in this field? What debates currently animate this field, and what are new questions and research agendas that should be pursued? This session presents papers showcasing empirically-rich and theoretically nuanced research on critical resource geographies and the political ecology of environmental protection and conservation.

Non-Presenting Participants