#329 | Fortress Conservation w/ Aby Sène

Last Born In The Wilderness

Dr. Aby Sène joins me to discuss fortress conservationism and the 30x30 plan, a proposal by Western conservation agencies and their corporate and state allies "to double the coverage of protected areas around the world by setting aside 30 percent of terrestrial cover for conservation by 2030." On the surface, the 30x30 proposal (the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework) to protect biodiversity and wildlife seems like a promising step in halting deforestation, unfettered resource extraction, and poaching of endangered wildlife across Africa, but as Dr. Sène eloquently describes in her work, this plan is but a continuation of the colonialist dynamics that have existed between the Global North and the Global South for centuries. These conservation efforts, aptly termed "fortress conservation,” is in reality part of a “colossal land grab," displacing indigenous communities from their lands and depriving them of traditional sources of sustenance and place-based cultural practices. There are many threads to follow in examining what is actually taking place here, but to provide some more context, Dr. Sène writes in 'Land grabs and conservation propaganda': Dr. Aby Sène-Harper is an assistant professor in parks and conservation area management at Clemson University. She is a trained interdisciplinary environmental social researcher whose work advances socially and ecologically just approaches to managing public lands, natural and cultural resources in the US and in Africa. Her research lies at the intersections of parks and protected area governance, livelihoods, nature-based tourism, and Race and nature. In the US her work interrogates how history and culture mediate African American relationships with nature, and cultural landscapes. In Africa, her work centers on the colonial structures of power in conservation, and integrative conservation approaches such as livelihood-centered projects, ecotourism and community-based conservation. Episode Notes: - Read 'Western Nonprofits Are Trampling Over Africans’ Rights and Land' (Foreign Policy), and 'Land grabs and conservation propaganda' (Africa is a Country): https://bit.ly/3Bq3eEE / https://bit.ly/3Ui5XbN - Follow Dr. Sène on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbySene9 - Other resources mentioned in this interview: The Red Deal (https://bit.ly/3xvre8k), Survival International (https://bit.ly/3Dt9lL1), 'The Big Conservation Lie' by John Mbaria and Mordecai Ogada (https://bit.ly/3Uf0ouN), 'The Violence of Conservation in Africa' (https://bit.ly/3qMMsuK), and 'Security and Conservation' by Rosaleen Duffy (https://bit.ly/3LkhuDs) - Sounds by Midnight Sounds: https://www.latenightsknowmystory.com - Photo: Elephants in Rain - Serengeti National Park safari - Tanzania, Africa. Credit David Berkowitz via Flickr CC BY 2.0. WEBSITE: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness DONATE: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast / https://venmo.com/LastBornPodcast BOOK LIST: https://bookshop.org/shop/lastbornpodcast EPISODE 300: https://lastborninthewilderness.bandcamp.com BOOK: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr ATTACK & DETHRONE: https://anchor.fm/adgodcast DROP ME A LINE: Call [phone] or http://bit.ly/LBWfiledrop EVERYTHING ELSE: https://msha.ke/lastbornpodcast