Culture and Conservation: Beyond Anthropocentrism

Abstract

Culture and Conservation: Beyond Anthropocentrism Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet and Helen Kopnina Routledge, Oxfordshire, UK, 2016 256 pp. $145 hardcover; $54.95 Kindle Reviewed by Nathan PoirierCulture and Conservation: Beyond Anthropocentrism by Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet and Helen Kopnina is an attempt to help resolve conflicts between the disciplines of conservation and anthropology while preserving the interests of both. Book chapters range widely in topics touching on many ways this could be accomplished. Considering that anthropologists frequently work with people and places that are situated at the nexus of where culture and conservation collide, each chapter tackles a different aspect of conservation and how anthropologists can play a pivotal role. A few overarching themes dominate: human overpopulation, taking a practical and balanced approach to conservation, and extending conservation concerns within anthropology to include nonhuman species.Discussion of human overpopulation is ubiquitous throughout the book. Population growth, density and sheer size are continually brought up as contributing in multiple ways to exacerbating issues surrounding both human rights and conservation issues. The authors point out the folly of both conservationists and their detractors in not acknowledging the significant and pervasive role human numbers play: more people simply consume more. This plays into the hands of capitalists insatiably looking for new or growing markets. This in turn brings infrastructure development which serves to crowd out many Indigenous peoples. Many other problems caused by too many people, as well as the added pressures population puts on social and environmental justice, education, gender equality and species extinctions, are raised throughout the book alerting the reader that overpopulation is indeed an issue now, and its consequences can be seen and felt in human and nonhuman based rights or conservation work.A second major theme within Culture and Conservation is embracing a balanced approach to conservation. The authors are skeptical of tactics that use economics as an incentive for conservation such as Payments for Ecosystem Services or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. However, they also speak favorably about differing approaches to conservation when these methods translate into efficacy.An important example of trying to balance the needs of all living creatures is found in the Introduction where the authors suggest 'industrocentrism' as a means for one to grasp what is at the core of conservation issues. Industrocentrism is used as a framework for finding common ground from which to unite proponents of either the ecocentric philosophy or the anthropocentric philosophy. There has been a historic divide between these two schools of thought but the modern capitalist economy is a point of intersection. As both humans and nonhumans have been devalued in the relentless pursuit of international development, industrocentrism encourages an attitude that both earth systems and living beings are vulnerable and likewise all should be protected. Thus, instead of arguing whether an ecocentric or anthropocentric worldview is more appropriate, the authors suggest that efforts should be unified towards addressing the harms caused to both humans and nonhumans by modern globalized industry.Chapters 3, 4 and 5 handle topics such as conflicts between mainstream vs. grassroots conservation (Ch. 3); the usefulness of local community involvement in conservation (Ch. 4); and the efficacy of incentive-based approaches (Ch. 5). Each side of these debates is carefully considered. For example, in regard to mainstream versus alternative conservation, the authors observe that in some cases, multinational organizations, while usually viewed as a threat, can play an important role in environmental protection simply because they possess the resources needed to achieve results. However, the concomitant risks are also noted when nature is treated as a commodity that can be traded or profited from. …