Why are so many conservationists relying on militarised approaches to tackle the illegal wildlife trade? And what harms does that produce for people and wildlife? This talk will explain how political ecology can help us understand the reasons behind militarisation, and the limitations of an enforcement-first approach. It will use the example of collaborations with private military companies (PMCs) to deliver anti poaching and law enforcement training.
Rosaleen Duffy is professor of international politics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the political ecology of conservation. She has written widely on illegal wildlife trade, global environmental governance, international conservation politics and ecotourism. Her most recent book is Security and Conservation: the politics of the illegal wildlife trade (Yale UP, 2022). She held an ERC Advanced grant (BIOSEC) and an ESRC grant for Beastly Business, which focused on security and green crime. She is currently developing some new research on animal political ecologies, and is PI of the new Multispecies Mutualisms funded by Wellcome Trust, in which she will focus on bird conservation and health.
Oct 22, 3-4pm.
Thoday Building G23