Environment and Development -- Third class of the term: Forests

This week in my Environment and Development course (ERST-IDST-POST-SAFS 3602H) we considered forests. Forests are contested places internationally, nationally, and at the local level, and much of the conflict over them stems from issues of control.

We looked at these themes in terms of selected forest issues in Brazil, India and elsewhere.  The recent murder of about 10 Indigenous people by gold prospectors in the Brazilian Amazon was a starting point, and from there we looked at how the Amazon forest is embedded in both international trading relationships and domestic Brazilian politics.

Next, we looked at India, and particularly at the celebrated Chipko movement -- an emblem of Gandhian non-violent resistance, but one that can also tell us interesting things about conflicts over control of Indian forests.

And finally, we looked at two instances, from Peru and Bolivia, of local conflicts over forests, and of an Indigenous community asserting control over their forests.  Our starting point was two videos (here and here) made available by Yale Environment 360.