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- OPEN ACCESSA central contention of this paper is that conservation strategies are failing because they have become increasingly integrated into, and share the assumptions of, the structures of capitalism. As a result, conservation is becoming a strategic specialty within capitalism, rather than an ethical challenge to its basic assumptions. The paper examines this integration by analysing the way Hardin’s argument in the “tragedy of the commons” metaphor was taken up by policy makers in Canada’s East Coast fishery and a case is made that, as seen in the case of the fishery, this strategic integration limited the analytical capability of conservation to highlight the causes of environmental degradation. The critical literature on Hardin’s model points to the failure to recognize the importance of social relations and local institutional arrangements in combatting environmental failure. This paper contributes to the importance of “the social” in conservation debates by emphasizing Polanyi’s contrasting definitions of formal and substantive economics and the way they relate to contrasting conceptions of tragedy, as set out by Hardin (formal tragedy from above) and Goldmann’s conception of a historically specific tragedy that can be described as substantive tragedy from below. The analytical failure associated with Hardin’s metaphor can serve as a cautionary tale for current strategic and specific conservation strategies that tend to downplay the importance of ethical and social issues.
- OPEN ACCESSWith growing attention to the ethical and equity implications of Western-based approaches to research, the urgency of decolonizing research has emerged as a critical topic across academic disciplines, including the field of sustainability. The complexity and messiness of this endeavour, however, may translate into uncertainty among researchers about how and where to start. This is partly due to a lack of guidance, training, and accountability mechanisms through Western academic institutions. In this paper, we advance a three-step process that systematically guides critical reflection toward respectful engagement of local and Indigenous communities, as well as other marginalized groups, by drawing on the literature and on learnings from a recent graduate student-led initiative. The process we develop aims to provide a pragmatic starting point for decolonizing research and a counterpoint to conventional modes of research. Such a process will not only foster accountability, respect, and reciprocity but also movement toward locally relevant, context-appropriate, and action-oriented research outcomes. Our three-step process also challenges Western-based and extractive research practices and seeks to facilitate a shift in mindset about the purpose of research and how to approach it.
- OPEN ACCESSIn this conceptual paper, we argue that the assumptions behind laboratory and field studies are that chemical and compositional analysis may reveal structures unseen by means of human observation. However, replacing human observation to make it obsolete is not the purpose of science; if something can be seen, but is not measurable, that does not make it irrelevant. Although science is frequently primarily regarded as a quantitative field, we argue that qualitative data inclusion is necessary determine the consequences of research on Indigenous communities. We discuss key points, including historical and anthropocentric views of science, suggesting that Indigenous Science requires greater wisdom-based knowledge in association with traditional ecological knowledge. We introduce a new conceptual model called “Pollen Sovereignty”, a sister to Indigenous food sovereignty, to begin critical discussions around the ethics of field research and the impacts of research on the environment, land management, and Indigenous communities. That is, through simple scientific concepts, critical thought, and logic new conceptual frameworks and avenues of research, Indigenous knowledges cannot merely be coopted and reused, but respected and valued.