At the start of the 21st century, the conservation of nature is of undiminished importance in post-colonial societies, yet the legacy of colonial thinking endures. What should conservation look like today, and what (indeed, whose) ideas should it be based upon?
Decolonizing Nature explores the influence of the colonial legacy on contemporary conservation and on ideas about the relationships between people, polities and nature in countries and cultures that were once part of the British Empire. It locates the historical development of the theory and practice of conservation - at both the periphery and the centre - firmly within the context of this legacy, and considers its significance today. It highlights the present and future challenges to conservationists of contemporary global neo-colonialism
The contributors to this volume include both academics and conservation practitioners. They provide wide-ranging and insightful perspectives on the need for, and practical ways to achieve new forms of informed ethical engagement between people and nature.
Bill Adams is reader in Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge and author of Future Nature: a vision for conservation and, Green Development: environment and sustainability in the Third World.
Martin Mulligan is Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney and co-author (with Stuart Hill) of Ecological Pioneers: a social history of Australian ecological thought and action as well as general editor of the journal Ecopolitics: thought & action.