Conservation Politics
The Last Anti-Colonial Battle

Challenges conservationists to rethink protecting the natural world; making political strategies central to increase support and influence.

David Johns (Author)

9781316648933, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 April 2019

398 pages, 11 b/w illus.
22.7 x 15.3 x 2.1 cm, 0.57 kg

'In the 30 years I've worked with Dave Johns for things wild and free, I've seen him become a leading activist on the visionary cutting edge of rewilding and also as our deepest thinker on effective activism. Witness his latest book.' Dave Foreman, Earth First!, US

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.

Introduction
Part I. The Problem: 1. The tragedy of political failure
2. Like it or not, politics is the solution
Part II. Getting the Questions Right: 3. Ten questions for conservation politics
4. Adapting society to the wild
5. Striking at the roots
6. Domination and the intractability of energy problems
Part III. Taking the Offensive: 7. Turning the tide
8. Lessons from large scale conservation
9. Doing large-scale restoration
10. The other connectivity
11. The special challenge of marine conservation
12. The biological sciences and conservation
Part IV. Culture Change: 13. Conservation, George Orwell and language
14. Restoring story and myth
15. Conservation's moral imperative
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Social impact of environmental issues [RNT], Conservation of wildlife & habitats [RNKH], Conservation of the environment [RNK], Environmental management [RNF], Environment law [LNKJ], Politics & government [JP]