Final Call for Papers: RGS/IBG Annual Conference, London 31 August - 2 September 2011
Poverty and degradation of ecosystems in Rainforest Regions: Examining approaches, socio-spatial dynamics of experiences and reactions to socio-environmental change
Organisers: Antonio Ioris and Sergei Shubin (University of Aberdeen)
Deforestation and marginalization of the poor continues in rainforest regions despite investment in institutional change, forest regulation, improving land management practices and economic development. Very often, approaches to equitable management of forest ecosystems in these regions tended to offer very narrow formalised solutions, lacked structure and coherence, were too insular and lacked broader international perspective and expertise. However, the persistence of situations of widespread poverty and growing environmental degradation in rainforest regions challenges the established narrative advanced by governments and mainstream organisations. In particular, environmental marginality, cultural materials and social practices creating poverty still remain on the margins of poverty-reduction strategies in rainforest regions (World Bank 2002) and they are seen as a “minor issue” often overlooked in favour of tackling material and economic deprivation Alkire 2004, 207). Dominant discursive treatments of poverty within policy making in these areas have tended to emphasise normative translation of social malaise (cf. Townsend, 1993). Needy people were often placed in subordinate position, allocated spaces within clearly defined “problem” areas and clearly structured “poor” social groups.
Effective working with people in need requires not only reduction of environmental vulnerability, but understanding of mechanisms of power distribution and articulation of poverty in policy making.Multidimensional basis of poverty and the socio-political nature of environmental problems therefore should involve a more interdisciplinary and critical understanding of the relations between structure, agency and scale (Appadurai 2004, Sen, 2006). This session attempts to bridge this gap between conceptually informed research and pragmatically structured policy making through the analysis of mechanisms for sustainable poverty reduction based on sustainable management of rainforest ecosystems.
This session invites papers that investigate the connection between poverty and degradation of ecosystems concentrating on poor peoples and vulnerabilities brought about by multidimensional changes. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
• Local experiences of mobilisation and expression of stakeholder discourse and socio-ecological demands
• Political contestation of the development efforts and regulation of services provided by ecosystems
• Links between changes in social organization, institutions and governance policies across spatial and temporal scales and poverty, conflicts over resources and land use change
• Differential impact of environmental changes on marginalised groups based on age, gender and ethnicity
• Values attached to ecosystems by different groups in different locations and their relation to history (knowledge and memory), reflection in resource use and conservation strategies
• New sensitive interpretative and responsive frameworks dealing with heterogeneous nature of poverty induced by ecosystem change
• Policies promoting innovation and integrated, equitable development in rainforest regions
Abstracts for papers should be up to 250 words in length. Please send your submissions and any queries to Antonio Ioris ([log in to unmask]) and Sergei Shubin ([log in to unmask])
Closing date for submissions: February 21, 2011
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