Conservation Politics
The Last Anti-Colonial Battle

Whilst the science of conservation biology is thriving as a discipline, ultimately global conservation is failing. Why, when the majority of people say they value nature and its protection? David Johns argues that the loss of species and healthy ecosystems is best understood as human imposition of a colonial relationship on the non-human world - one of exploitation and domination. Global institutions benefit from transforming nature into commodities, and conservation is a low priority. This book places political issues at the forefront, and tackles critical questions of conservation efficacy. It considers the role of effective influence on decision making, key policy changes to reduce human footprint, and the centrality of culture in mobilising support. It draws on political lessons from successful social movements, including human anti-colonial struggles, to provide conservation biologists and practitioners in scientific and social science disciplines and NGOs with the tools and wider context to accelerate their work's impact.

Reviews & endorsements

'Bruce Babbit, when he was Secretary of the Interior, was fond of saying to conservationists, 'Don't expect me to do the right thing, make me do it'. Conservationists made impressive strides after Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring', by relying on passion and persuasion, but little progress has been made since the 1970s, as corporate opposition has coalesced into a powerful counter-movement. Meanwhile, with shrinking opportunities for habitat protection and the looming specter of climate change, the need for further progress is greater than ever. David Johns, a political scientist with a deep interest in popular movements, makes the case that conservation will only return to the forefront of the nation's agenda when citizens mobilize into a vigorous movement with the energy to elect advocates to positions of political power. His new book offers deep insights into how to achieve this goal.' John W. Terborgh, Duke University, North Carolina

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Product details

• Date Published: April 2019
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9781316648933
• length: 398 pages

• dimensions: 227 x 153 x 21 mm
• weight: 0.57kg
• contains: 11 b/w illus.
• availability: In stock