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Interrogating military thinking and practices in conservation
Interrogating military thinking and practices in conservation
The militarisation of conservation refers to the use of military or paramilitary logics, practices, technologies, and personnel in the name of protecting biodiversity and spaces of conservation. This is often referred to as ‘green militarisation’.
These approaches are part of the history of conservation, but militarisation has intensified in the past decade. This is in part because of the sense of urgency surrounding the escalation in the commercial poaching of wildlife. Our work critically examines the increasingly militarised turn in conservation.
These critiques stem from concerns about the far-reaching consequences of militarisation. These include the promotion and extension of violence and use of force, the negative impacts on human rights and people who live in and around protected areas, and a failure to address the root causes of illicit hunting and biodiversity use. As a result of this, attention is diverted away from more mundane, but no less important, conservation priorities.
Our research used in-depth case studies and global analyses to interrogate questions concerning the social, economic, and ecological impacts and sustainability of militarised approaches to biodiversity protection.
Research team
Research team
Related publications
Related publications
The militarisation of anti-poaching: undermining long term goals
R Duffy, FAV St John, B Buscher and D Brockington (2015). The militarisation of anti-poaching: undermining long term goals. (PDF, 77KB) Environmental Conservation, 42(4): 345–348.
Waging a waging a war to save biodiversity: the rise of militarised conservation
R Duffy (2014). Waging a waging a war to save biodiversity: the rise of militarised conservation. (PDF, 201KB) International Affairs, 90 (4). pp. 819–834.
War, by conservation
R Duffy (2016). War, by Conservation. (PDF, 355KB) Geoforum. 09.10.2015, pp. 238–248.
Linking green militarisation and critical military studies
F Massé, E Lunstrum and D Holterman (2017). Linking green militarisation and critical military studies. Critical Military Studies, 19.12.2017.
Inclusive anti-poaching? Exploring the potential and challenges of community-based anti-poaching
F Massé, A Gardiner, R Lubilo, M Themba (2017). Inclusive anti-poaching? Exploring the potential and challenges of community-based anti-poaching. (PDF, 179KB) South Africa Crime Quarterly, 60, 19-27. 23.06.2017.
Accumulation by securitisation: commercial poaching, neoliberal conservation, and the creation of new wildlife frontiers.
F Massé, E Lunstrum (2015). Accumulation by securitisation: commercial poaching, neoliberal conservation, and the creation of new wildlife frontiers. Geoforum, 69, 227-237. 24.03.2015.
Conflict ecologies: connecting political ecology and peace and conflict studies
P LeBillon and R Duffy (2018). Conflict ecologies: connecting political ecology and peace & conflict studies. Journal of Political Ecology, 31.07.2018.
Topographies of security and the multiple spatialities of (conservation) power: verticality, surveillance, and space-time compression in the bush
FMassé (2018). Topographies of security and the multiple spatialities of (conservation) power: verticality, surveillance, and space-time compression in the bush. Political Geography, 16.10.2018.
Anti-poaching’s politics of (in)visibility: representing nature and conservation amidst a poaching crisis
F Massé (2018). Anti-poaching’s politics of (in)visibility: representing nature and conservation amidst a poaching crisis. Geoforum, 13.10.2018.
Why we must question the militarisation of conservation
R Duffy, F Massé, E Smidt, E Marijnen, B Büscher, J Verweijen, M Ramutsindela, T Simlaie, L Joanny, E Lunstrum (2019) Why we must question the militarisation of conservation. Biological Conservation 05.02.2019.
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