Could militarized conservation ever be ecologically just?

Fergus O'Leary Simpson

The Ecological Citizen Vol 7 No 2 2024: 159–66 [epub-110]

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First published: 13 June 2024 | PERMANENT URL | DOWNLOAD CITATION IN RIS FORMAT

Abstract

Social scientists and activists critique militarized conservation as socially unjust. They highlight displacements, dispossessions and human rights violations committed by armed conservation guards often in collaboration with government militaries. Much less work has addressed the question as to whether militarized conservation could ever deliver ecojustice – justice for nature. While the evidence is mixed and far from conclusive as to the ecological effectiveness of militarized conservation, there are examples of where coercive methods have contributed to successful conservation outcomes. Ultimately, the question as to whether militarized conservation can contribute to ecojustice depends on the extent to which: i) the nature being conserved is endangered; ii) human practices impose suffering on sentient non-human species; and iii) violence is part of the social settings in which conservation is implemented.

Keywords

Anthropocentrism, Conservation, Ecological ethics, Protected areas

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