The geopolitical ecology of conservation : discourse and power in counter wildlife trafficking programmes in Peru

Abstract

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) has risen as an emergent threat for conservation. Academia and governments have often ignored IWT in the Americas, but growing interest in counter wildlife trafficking (CWT) in Latin America has created space for non-state actors to influence agendas through CWT programmes. The dynamics and implications of such programmes elucidate the power international discourses and structures have in shaping relationships with nature and between actors in new ways. Extending the theory of geopolitical ecology through a novel engagement with decolonial and feminist approaches, my thesis follows the influence, maps the institutions, and explores how people engage with wild animals in markets to understand the geopolitical ecology of international conservation through CWT programmes in Peru. Data was collected through document and policy reviews, ethnography, and semi-structured interviews with government officers, CWT professionals, and people in three of the main wildlife markets in Peru. Empirically, I find that CWT discourses focused on crime and enforcement-first approaches shape and reshape CWT programmes implemented in Peru, from international conferences to street markets. Even though the Peruvian government maintains a strong discourse on “promoting the sustainable use of wild animals,” enforcement-first actions become a primary focus through the support of non-state actors and in combination with national conditions. In markets, place-based experiences of engaging with wild animals vary, but a strong experience of living in worlds with wild animals contrasts with law-enforcement focused action that aims to separate humans from animals. Policing for conservation in markets elicits conflicting perceptions, at once seen as important and unjust, contributing to mistrust towards the government. In unravelling the geopolitical ecology of conservation, I theorise large conservation non-state organisations as large geopolitical institutions, and CWT programmes as a form of cosmopolitical ordering. This brings new perspectives for considering the decolonisation of international conservation.