Environment and Development -- Fourth Class of the Term: Parks and Biodiversity

This week we turned in Environment and Development (ERST-IDST-POST-SAFS 3602H) to wildlife and biodiversity conservation, with particular attention to its intersections with history, justice, and knowledge.  To illustrate some points, we looked a little more closely at India, Costa Rica and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We started by looking at three aspects of the history of protected areas: European traditions and their transfer to colonial contexts around the world; the formation of parks as national spaces (with a closer look at Project Tiger in India, and at the concept of "fortress conservation"); and the place and growth of parks in the current neoliberal era.

Then, we examined two key concepts: wilderness -- its history and consequences; and development -- and how parks can be understood conceptually as akin to other forms of development, such as dams or industrial forests.

Next, we looked at Costa Rica: a country that has both a reputation as a conservation leader, and as one of the more deforested nations in Central America.  The contradictions implied by this dual identity provide lots of scope for considering the trade-offs and conflicts involved in ecotourism.

And finally, we looked at Virunga National Park -- home, most famously, to mountain gorillas -- and at how current conservation efforts, focused on charcoal production and other challenges, depend for success on acknowledging that the park is embedded within its region.