Interdisciplinary Exchanges: Natural resource management in the 21st century
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Geography
Abstract
Human-dominated landscapes are playing an increasingly important role in natural resource conservation and it is becoming progressively clear that social and ecological outcomes are inherently interrelated and difficult to separate. To achieve truly sustainable outcomes, social and ecological processes must, therefore, be studied simultaneously and in collaboration with practitioners that can facilitate the design of applicable solutions.
Despite numerous calls for closer collaboration between academic disciplines, organizations and institutions to jointly tackle environmental issues, there are still deeply entrenched divisions between the natural and social sciences. More importantly, successfully weaving scientific knowledge into natural resource management policies and action continues to be one of the largest challenges faced by the academic establishment.
The core group recognises these challenges and will address the fact that natural resource policy, especially environmental based policies, rely on knowledge from different science disciplines. This series will directly address the challenge of how to balance information from relevant and diverse disciplines, and avoid dependence on one source (e.g., ecology) as the main reference for evidence used to advise on natural resource management tool options like Protected Areas.
This seminar series will significantly advance interdisciplinary science and its application and break new ground by developing a new network of practitioners and world leading natural and social scientists to 1) identify and address current interdisciplinary challenges in natural resource management research, 2) develop new networks between academics and practitioners to bridge the gap between science, policy and action, 3) consolidate an interdisciplinary working group to develop a series of international and interdisciplinary research grant proposals, and 4) provide crucial capacity building for young researchers by promoting the series to the wider natural and social science community.
This series will build on the complementary expertise of the core team and invited participants to cover five major inter-related themes over six seminars: 1) community-based natural resource management, 2) food security, poverty and biodiversity, 3) local adaptations to climate change, 4) payment for ecosystem services, 5) natural resource extraction and environmental conflicts. The final seminar will provide an opportunity to review the topics covered during the series and establish a concise working plan and finalize research partnerships between academic and non-academic partners.
Together, these themes directly address the role of the state and society in the management of renewable and non-renewable resources in developing areas, which are home to many of the world's natural resources and biodiversity, while also having the world's highest poverty rates. The series will specifically focus on, how local communities manage natural resources, how they adapt to environmental changes and the availability of natural resources, and finally, how they are influenced by conservation and development policies at various governance levels. The unique scope and scale of opportunity provided by this seminar series will, therefore, generate pathways to provide context-specific information to tailor policy advice at different levels (e.g., local and national).
Despite numerous calls for closer collaboration between academic disciplines, organizations and institutions to jointly tackle environmental issues, there are still deeply entrenched divisions between the natural and social sciences. More importantly, successfully weaving scientific knowledge into natural resource management policies and action continues to be one of the largest challenges faced by the academic establishment.
The core group recognises these challenges and will address the fact that natural resource policy, especially environmental based policies, rely on knowledge from different science disciplines. This series will directly address the challenge of how to balance information from relevant and diverse disciplines, and avoid dependence on one source (e.g., ecology) as the main reference for evidence used to advise on natural resource management tool options like Protected Areas.
This seminar series will significantly advance interdisciplinary science and its application and break new ground by developing a new network of practitioners and world leading natural and social scientists to 1) identify and address current interdisciplinary challenges in natural resource management research, 2) develop new networks between academics and practitioners to bridge the gap between science, policy and action, 3) consolidate an interdisciplinary working group to develop a series of international and interdisciplinary research grant proposals, and 4) provide crucial capacity building for young researchers by promoting the series to the wider natural and social science community.
This series will build on the complementary expertise of the core team and invited participants to cover five major inter-related themes over six seminars: 1) community-based natural resource management, 2) food security, poverty and biodiversity, 3) local adaptations to climate change, 4) payment for ecosystem services, 5) natural resource extraction and environmental conflicts. The final seminar will provide an opportunity to review the topics covered during the series and establish a concise working plan and finalize research partnerships between academic and non-academic partners.
Together, these themes directly address the role of the state and society in the management of renewable and non-renewable resources in developing areas, which are home to many of the world's natural resources and biodiversity, while also having the world's highest poverty rates. The series will specifically focus on, how local communities manage natural resources, how they adapt to environmental changes and the availability of natural resources, and finally, how they are influenced by conservation and development policies at various governance levels. The unique scope and scale of opportunity provided by this seminar series will, therefore, generate pathways to provide context-specific information to tailor policy advice at different levels (e.g., local and national).
Planned Impact
This series on interdisciplinary exchanges in natural resource management research will significantly advance scientific knowledge and theory building in the fields of development, social and cultural geography, and conservation biology. Critically, this series will also significantly enhance the ability of academics and practitioners to engage with each other and reflect on best practices, thinking forward through different interdisciplinary exchanges that may challenge the status quo. By promoting this dialogue between national and international, leading and up-and-coming academics and practitioners from both developed and developing countries, this series directly supports a variety of RCUK's academic and societal pathways to impact. We will do this by:
1) Enhancing the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement of theory and practice
2) Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organizations and early career researchers
3) Creating avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems.
Who will benefit from this seminar series? Our team has a strong track record of non-academic partnerships in research and user-engagements at all stages in research projects. This series uses the established networks of our non-academic and academic partners to ensure the close and central involvement of non-academic institutions. They will be involved all stages of the seminar series and will be specially invited to give presentations at each event, participate in workshop activities and join research grant consortia emerging from the network. Invited partner practitioner organizations include, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Conservation International (CI), the World Pheasant Association (WPA), Village Aid, Envirotrade. (Note: we have secured £5000 from the Sheffield Institute for International Development to cover participation costs of additional practitioners)
How will they benefit from this seminar series? Through shared dialogue about research activities and experience within workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (as part of a special edition in high-impact journal) and through focused grant application activities.
In addition, we will build a dedicated webpage designed in house and hosted on the Sheffield Institute for International Development website. This website will contain project information and provide an open-access repository of working papers, offering opportunities for interaction with and beyond our partners. We will advertise our project website (and associated papers, podcasts and briefings) through the existing contacts and networks of the project team, and through actively making new contacts in relevant institutions. Our team has training and expertise in writing for different audiences and so the briefings will be pitched in the appropriate style for engaging practitioner and academic audiences. We will use existing social networking tools (facebook and twitter for the Sheffield Institute for International Development, Leed's Sustainability Research Institute and the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability) to further extend our reach. Partners will also be encouraged to make links to our website from their home pages.
1) Enhancing the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement of theory and practice
2) Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organizations and early career researchers
3) Creating avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems.
Who will benefit from this seminar series? Our team has a strong track record of non-academic partnerships in research and user-engagements at all stages in research projects. This series uses the established networks of our non-academic and academic partners to ensure the close and central involvement of non-academic institutions. They will be involved all stages of the seminar series and will be specially invited to give presentations at each event, participate in workshop activities and join research grant consortia emerging from the network. Invited partner practitioner organizations include, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Conservation International (CI), the World Pheasant Association (WPA), Village Aid, Envirotrade. (Note: we have secured £5000 from the Sheffield Institute for International Development to cover participation costs of additional practitioners)
How will they benefit from this seminar series? Through shared dialogue about research activities and experience within workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (as part of a special edition in high-impact journal) and through focused grant application activities.
In addition, we will build a dedicated webpage designed in house and hosted on the Sheffield Institute for International Development website. This website will contain project information and provide an open-access repository of working papers, offering opportunities for interaction with and beyond our partners. We will advertise our project website (and associated papers, podcasts and briefings) through the existing contacts and networks of the project team, and through actively making new contacts in relevant institutions. Our team has training and expertise in writing for different audiences and so the briefings will be pitched in the appropriate style for engaging practitioner and academic audiences. We will use existing social networking tools (facebook and twitter for the Sheffield Institute for International Development, Leed's Sustainability Research Institute and the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability) to further extend our reach. Partners will also be encouraged to make links to our website from their home pages.
Publications
Reed M
(2017)
A place-based approach to payments for ecosystem services
in Global Environmental Change
Twyman C
Towards Effective Community-based Natural Resource Management in the Context of Increasing Complexity
in Conservation Biology
| Description | Key Findings Report: ESRC Interdisciplinary Exchanges Seminar Series The purpose of the seminar series was to create a new network of natural and social scientists and practitioners to identify and address current interdisciplinary challenges in natural resource management (NRM) research, and to bridge the gap between science, policy and action. This seminar series specifically aimed to significantly advance interdisciplinary science to: 1) identify and tackle previous and current interdisciplinary successes and failures, 2) develop strong networks between academics from different disciplines and practitioners in order to identify critical research questions, 3) establish a world leading international and interdisciplinary research consortium to prepare a series of major funding bids with direct policy implications for NRM, and d) provide crucial capacity building for young researchers (e.g. through formal links to ESRC DTCs). Activities and Achievements The table below summarises the key activities undertaken by the network. Events (key speakers) When Where Outputs CBNRM • Phil McGowan (Newcastle University) • George Holmes (Leeds University) • Kerry Waylen (James Hutton Institute) Jan 2014 Sheffield CBNRM and Complexity paper for publication Food Security • Tim Benton (UK Government Global Food Security Champion) • Jahi Chappell (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, US) April 2014 Newcastle Blog Workshop summary Climate Change Adaptation • Katharine Vincent (Kulima Integrated Development Solutions, South Africa) • Martin Rokitski (Oxfam UK) Sept 2014 Leeds Blog Grant application Payment for Ecosystem Services • Niall Marriott (Carbon Plus Capital, UK) • Mark Reed (Birmingham City University) Jan 2015 Leeds PES paper Blog Conflict and NRM • Rosaleen Duffy (University of London) • John McNeish (Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway) Sept 2015 Sheffield Workshop summary Retreat • Key participants July 2015 Hope Valley Workshop report Key achievements from the seminar series can be grouped according to the following: 1. Dialogue, discussion and networking Each workshop comprised at least two keynote speakers, the core team, early career researchers and other invited academics and practitioners. The days were structured around keynote presentations, break-out groups to discuss pre-set questions and plenaries. An evaluation session at the final 'retreat' workshop asked participations to reflect on the key achievements around dialogue, discussion and networking. There were: a. Meeting new people with overlapping areas of interest and expertise b. Critical feedback on new ideas c. Sharing new perspectives on research ideas from different disciplines d. Forming new writing collaborations e. Exposure to different ways of thinking about shared NRM issues f. Exchanges of methods/theories from terrestrial to marine environments (and vice versa) g. Developing new contacts and collaborative research partners h. Challenging interdisciplinary ideas i. Exchanges of critical perspectives and thinking 2. Written outputs Each workshop was preceded by the circulation of 'key issues' briefings, and a summary or blog was produced after the workshop and put on our website. Two publications for peer-review have also been submitted by the core team and participants (including early career researchers). a. "The challenge for effective CBNRM in an increasingly complex environment" Twyman et al. paper submitted to PNAS Jan 2015 rejected after review and re-submitted to Conservation Biology Jan 2016; b. "A Place-Based Approach to Payments for Ecosystem Services" Reed et al. to be submitted to Ecosystem Services (Jan 2016); c. Synthesis paper on "interdisciplinary exchanges" in preparation for submission to Ecology and Society; d. Blog series, led by the early career researchers, comprising reflection in key debates emerging from workshops: The Complex Simplicity of Payments for Ecosystem Services (Green); The adaptation language - implications for working at the boundaries of research, policy and practice (Dixon); Food Security: Sparing and Sharing Food (Green); e. Summary reports (Food Security; Local Adaptation to Climate Change; NR Conflict); f. Website: http://www.interdisciplinaryexchanges.org 3. Collaborative outcomes Academics (both Co-Is and participants) and practioners within the series have capitalised on the networking opportunities and as a result have been able to foster and strengthen new and existing collaborations. Grant applications activities that have been prompted by the network include: a. Profs Dougill and Stringer (Leeds) gained joint collaborative research funding through the NERC/DFID Future Climate for Africa programme together with Katharine Vincent (Kulima IDS, South Africa). This involved both a national pilot case study project in Malawi (£60k) leading to a Vincent et al. (2015) paper in Climate Policy and Jones et al. (2015) Nature Climate Change commentary; and a successful regional consortium UMFULA project (£3.97m) led by Declan Conway at LSE with Dougill / Vincent as co-PIs and Stringer as a co-I. b. Early career researcher Dr Green submitted an application on food security to the Newton Fund (unsuccessful). c. Drs Twyman and Evans led a successful internal University of Sheffield interdisciplinary PhD network application on the Green Economy with external partner Niall Marriott from CarbonPlusCapital. Three students have started Oct 2015 and further funding for the network was secured from the Grantham Institute for Sustainable Futures (Sheffield). d. Evans and Oldekop led a successful grant application to University of Sheffield's Sheffield Institute for International Development on "Developing Policy and Intervention Impact Evaluation Expertise" (Nov 2015). e. Dr Holmes (Leeds) led a White Rose Doctoral Training Network application on "Innovative approaches to understanding new forms of conservation governance for social and environmental benefits" with partner World Land Trust that included Twyman and Oldekop (Sheffield),and Leeds (Sallu) (December 2015). f. Dr Whitfield (Leeds) led a White Rose Doctoral Training Network application on "Social Science of Agri-Food System Sustainability" with partner CGIAR that included Tywman (Sheffield) and Quinn (Leeds) (December 2015). Vincent, K., Dougill, A.J., Dixon, J.L., Stringer, L.C., Cull, T. (2015). Enhancing climate services for national planning in sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from Malawi. Climate Policy. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2015.1075374 Jones, L., Dougill, A.J., Jones, R., Steynor, A., Watkiss, P., Kane, C., Koelle, B., Moufouma-Okia, W., Padgham, J., Ranger, N., Roux, J-P., Suarez, P., Tanner, T., Vincent, K. (2015). Ensuring climate information guides long-term development. Nature Climate Change, 5, 812-814. http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v5/n9/full/nclimate2701.html |
| Exploitation Route | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Those involved in the network will take forward these new and strengthened collaborations and develop them further through joint grant applications, funded projects and ongoing writing projects. Others can benefit from our experiences by reading our publications, attending events taken forward by the core team and being inspired by our successes at working across disciplinary boundaries. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education,Environment |
| URL | http://www.interdisciplinaryexchanges.org |
| Description | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Those involved in the network will take forward these new and strengthened collaborations and develop them further through joint grant applications, funded projects and ongoing writing projects. Others can benefit from our experiences by reading our publications, attending events taken forward by the core team and being inspired by our successes at working across disciplinary boundaries. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Climate Change Adaptation Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Blog and grant application. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Community-based Naturual Resoucre Management Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). The participants worked on a paper together for peer-review. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Conflict and Natural Resourse Management Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Workshop summary. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Final Interdisciplinary Exchanges Workshop and Retreat |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Workshop report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Food Security Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Blog by early career researcher. Workshop summary. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Payment for Ecosystem Services Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The networking and collaborative discussion opportunities provided by the seminar series have both fostered new relationships and strengthened existing ones between participants. We have enhanced the knowledge economy by debating new knowledge and scientific advancement through workshops, open-access briefings (working papers) and academic publications (in high-impact journals). We have enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of our partner organisations and early career researchers through shared research, activities and experience (through presentations, workshops and dialogue). We have created avenues for effective dialogue between practitioners and academics to increase the awareness and understanding of the links between disciplinary expertises, policy and action within complex socio-ecological systems (through presentations, workshops and dialogue and new collaborations). Draft PES paper and early career researcher blog. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Workshop on Conflict and Natural Resources |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In September 2015, Interdisciplinary Exchanges held its fourth workshop, hosted by the University of Sheffield, which focused on managing resource-related conflicts in the Global South. Here we review the main themes and debates that emerged from this workshop. Workshop Speakers: John Andrew McNeish: Professor, International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway Rosaleen Duffy: Professor in the Political Ecology of Development, School for Oriental and African Studies, UK Managing Resource Conflicts: Political Ecology, Security and Resource Sovereignty Natural resources are subject to power relations, and oftentimes, state attempts at controlling both the use and conservation of these resources have generated, sustained, and created conflicts (Le Billon 2005, 2012). In particular, states have exercised their political authority in order to respond to the complex range of dynamics involved in natural resource management, and part of this response, are various attempts at quelling, controlling, and or displacing 'unruly' populations (Neumann 1998; Peluso 1992). In this context, the two keynote speakers explored the complexity of managing conflicts in two regions - Latin America and Africa - and the distinctive challenges associated with the natural resources-conflict nexus. As our first speaker, John-Andrew McNeish, noted, conflicts over land, minerals, and oil and gas in Latin America are constitutive of broader socio-economic historical processes that underpin the relationship between nature and society. Central to this process is the contestation over the ownership of resources, which in turn determines how they can be used, who can extract the rents and profits from them, and what types of rights claims (and who bear these rights) are being articulated in governing nature. McNeish challenged the participants to think about the concept of 'resource sovereignty' as a way of exploring multiple expressions of political agency through a focus on local histories, as well as the concrete claims to territorial autonomy and material resources - both of which are essential in the re-conceptualization of sovereignty as a useful analytical frame in understanding socio-environmental conflicts. In many ways, the workshop began to explore the promise of an anthropological intervention in what is usually considered the territory of political science and sociology. McNeish unpacked the idea of sovereignty - a concept tightly linked with the legitimate exercise of political authority and organized violence of the state. With developing countries becoming increasingly dependent on natural resources (especially oil, gas and minerals), the promise of such resources shape public fantasies and become part of the myth-making of the state (Coronil 1997). However, sovereignty is also expressed in the discourses of social groups who are directly impacted by the exploitation of these resources. Going beyond the generic idea of natural resources as instruments of economic growth, domestic societal actors also identify sovereignty as something that is tied to their culture, social identity, and collective rights over the management of land and natural resources (McNeish et. al. 2015). However, in response to the broader political ecology literature, McNeish warns us in treating 'local' and 'community' as always and necessarily homogenous rights-bearing subjects exercising political agency. Throughout the workshop, the participants raised similar concerns about indigenous groups in other developing countries and how natural resources are becoming sources of conflicts not only between global companies and states, but are divisive towards communities in general. Our second speaker, Rosaleen Duffy, in broadening the debate focused on the role of political ecology perspectives in understanding resources and violent conflicts. While there is extensive scholarship on the role of resource scarcity and resource abundance in producing armed conflicts (Buhaug 2010; Butler & Gates 2012; Collier & Hoeffler 2000), Duffy suggests that not enough attention is given to the intersection between concerns about environmental change-especially wildlife losses- and concerns with the global security agenda. She highlights a new phenomenon, whereby states, conservation NGOs, private military companies, and international organisations change their conservation practices in ways that match US geopolitical interests. The workshop participants explored the environment-security nexus, stressing how resource-related conflicts are manifested in competing political interests across a wide range of actors within conservation and environmental protection. As a rejoinder, some of the common themes that emerged in our discussion included: (1) The necessity for an environmental peace. In countries where violent conflicts shape the political landscape, for example Colombia, local communities and social groups are working through different institutional channels and transnational initiatives in order to secure environmental peace. Emphasizing a social contract on human-environmental relations and their development consequences, the idea of an environmental peace contrasts with the idea of a territorial peace which is limited to a settlement on physical boundaries and legal land titles. Without environmental peace, there will be limited chances to achieve lasting social peace. (2) Today, we can observe that there is more than just community opposition to mining and extractivism. Different societal groups are competing to take control of natural resources - taxing, distributing, and accruing rents - but there are also growing voices (where ecological and post-colonial thinkers draw inspiration from) arguing for a need to think about post-extractivist models of development. These are vague ideas, but such arguments articulate the need to resolve resource conflicts beyond addressing the politics of redistribution. (3) One potential approach to develop is a nuanced, scalar approach exploring the relationship between natural resources and conflicts. While the 'global' remains important in shaping possibilities for more progressive environmental agendas as Duffy showed in her research on War by Conservation, McNeish highlights the complexity of state-society relations by examining how local community conflicts move towards national political landscapes. Moving the Agenda Forward The workshop was an exciting opportunity to explore the interconnections across a wider field in political ecology, development studies, and anthropology. Given the diverse background of participants, which included natural and environmental sciences, the workshop was able to consider the broad issues surrounding the governance of resources and conflicts. There are significant opportunities to harness the complexity of resource conflicts and look for analytical complementarities across sub-disciplines. We identify the following priorities for this research: (1) Resource conflicts and the significance of reconceptualising 'sovereignty' or the role of states in developing countries; (2) The emerging securitization of environmental concerns in Africa, and elsewhere; (3) The potential of linking political ecology with political economy and wider social theory to analyze the changing nature of conflicts and the environment-security nexus. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |