Political Ecology
How the Perspective of Political Ecology Treats Environmental Conservation and Development Issues
Student’s Name:
Environmental Issues in Asia
Tutor’s Name:
2 November 2011
OUTLINE: I. Introduction II. Political ecology and environmental conservation and development issues III. Strengths and weaknesses of political ecology approach on nuclear power industry IV. Strengths and weaknesses of political ecology approach on protection of trees V. Conclusion VI. References
I. Introduction
Sutton (2004, p.311) defines political ecology as “the study of the day-to-day conflicts, alliances, and negotiations that ultimately result in some sort of definitive behavior; how politics affects or structures resource use”. It has a broad scope and it aims to create interplay between political and economic aspects of a given society and its environmental and social issues. Political ecology has drawn quite a lot, and to some extent eclipsed a certain form of analysis called cultural ecology which showed how culture is influenced by, and heavily relies on, the material conditions of society. Whereas cultural ecology and systems theory emphasize(s) adaptation and homeostasis, political ecology emphasize(s) the role of political economy as a force of maladaptation and instability (Walker, 2005, p.74). II. Political ecology and environmental conservation and development issues
The analysis is framed within the general approach of political ecology (Stott and Sullivan, 2000) by linking the underlying discourses of environmental change to policies and institutions engaged in implementing environment and development. There are unorthodox dynamics in the way political ecology treats environmental conservation and development issues. It is a sought of give and take where in some cases, the political aspect of that relationship between politics and environment, takes precedence and concentrates too much on its interests. This creates such
Student’s Name:
Environmental Issues in Asia
Tutor’s Name:
2 November 2011
OUTLINE: I. Introduction II. Political ecology and environmental conservation and development issues III. Strengths and weaknesses of political ecology approach on nuclear power industry IV. Strengths and weaknesses of political ecology approach on protection of trees V. Conclusion VI. References
I. Introduction
Sutton (2004, p.311) defines political ecology as “the study of the day-to-day conflicts, alliances, and negotiations that ultimately result in some sort of definitive behavior; how politics affects or structures resource use”. It has a broad scope and it aims to create interplay between political and economic aspects of a given society and its environmental and social issues. Political ecology has drawn quite a lot, and to some extent eclipsed a certain form of analysis called cultural ecology which showed how culture is influenced by, and heavily relies on, the material conditions of society. Whereas cultural ecology and systems theory emphasize(s) adaptation and homeostasis, political ecology emphasize(s) the role of political economy as a force of maladaptation and instability (Walker, 2005, p.74). II. Political ecology and environmental conservation and development issues
The analysis is framed within the general approach of political ecology (Stott and Sullivan, 2000) by linking the underlying discourses of environmental change to policies and institutions engaged in implementing environment and development. There are unorthodox dynamics in the way political ecology treats environmental conservation and development issues. It is a sought of give and take where in some cases, the political aspect of that relationship between politics and environment, takes precedence and concentrates too much on its interests. This creates such
References: Hanna, K. et al., 2008. Transforming Parks and Protected Areas: Policy and Governance in a Changing World. New York, NY: Routledge. Stott, P.A. and Sullivan, S., 2000. Political Ecology: Science, Myth and Power. London: Arnold. Sutton, M.Q. and Anderson, E.N., 2004. Introduction to Cultural Ecology. Berkeley, CA: Altamira. Walker, P.A., 2005. Political ecology: where is the ecology? Progress in Human Geography, 29 (1), pp.73–82.