Finding the balance between environmental conservation and the needs of the local population by monitoring relations between the state and communities

Abstract

In a recent report about indigenous-led conservation of the Amazon forest, the non-governmental organization Amazon Frontline  reported a lowest deforestation rate on amazonian indigenous lands, highlighting indigenous communities as the most effective guardians of the rainforest. However, international  environmental conservation practices are deeply grounded in an eurocentric ecological scientific view which does not always take into consideration the needs of the local population, including social well-being and spiritual values. Thus, this research investigates  how environmental ancestral knowledge and environmental conservation measures can be articulated in order to respect needs and practices of local and indigenous communities. The decolonial ecology framework  theorizes that  ecological science is embedded in colonial roots, leading to environmental  over-control, dispossession of the colonized population and ignorance of pre-existing of non-western environmental knowledge. However, several environmental alternative narratives exist, especially in Latin America where indigenous communities hold a special bond with nature. Buen Vivir, for instance, is an alternative view of development  arising from indigenous cosmology and  influenced by political discourse that emphasizes indigenous traditional knowledge. Buen Vivir is also grounded as an alternative of sustainable development which; in addition to considering human’s needs, also considers environmental needs. Buen Vivir advocates for a  society-nature-continuum where nature and humans support each other. Hence, considering a non-western view of sustainable development is relevant to implement  inclusive environmental measures by using alternative knowledge. This research is using a qualitative method and will conduct a case study about the  partnership between the  Peruvian indigenous community of Ashaninka and the non-governmental organization Global Conservation with the purpose to help the Ashaninka people and the Peruvian government to protect indigenous territories and biodiversity. Hence, I hypothesize that the collaboration between the NGO Global Conservation with the Ashaninka communities allowed for the establishment of a global park defense, strengthening the surveillance against illegal deforestation and narco-trafficking while following the initial indigenous community environmental protection programs, by integrating ancestral knowledge with modern tools, establishing community-led monitoring and strengthen indigenous territorial governance and autonomy.  Furthermore, this partnership allows to monitor relations between the indigenous communities and the Peruvian state, allowing for recognition of indigenous rights and ancestral ecosystem practices. Hence,the balance between  environmental conservation and the  need for local communities could be achieved by monitoring relations between the state and the communities, in order to make sure to respect the well-being of local communities while implementing environmental conservation measures.