New article on ‘Conservation and the right to food’ by Winy Vasquez and Terry Sunderland

 

While the importance of protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services cannot be understated, how protected areas are imposed and managed should be revisited and reworked to break away from a legacy of “fortress conservation” that can lead to displacement, infringement of rights, loss of access and other negative social impacts. In contrast to the Western protected area model, many Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, who have been able to retain their traditional knowledge and practices have been able to maintain biodiversity at levels that have rivalled that of protected areas, whilst also supporting healthy, diverse, and nutritious diets. Ultimately, biodiversity conservation and healthy livelihoods, including the right to food, do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Winy and Terry recently published an article on Open Access Government discussing conservation and the right to food. For the full article, please click here.