Overcoming racism in the twin spheres of conservation science and practice

Lauren F. Rudd, Shorna Allred, Julius G. Bright Ross, Darragh Hare, Merlyn Nomusa Nkomo, Kartik Shanker, Tanesha Allen, Duan Biggs, Amy Dickman, Michael Dunaway, Ritwick Ghosh, Nicole Thompson González, Thembela Kepe, Moreangels M. Mbizah, Sara L. Middleton, Meera Anna Oommen, Kumar Paudel, Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Andrea Dávalos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is time to acknowledge and overcome conservation's deep-seated systemic racism, which has historically marginalized Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) communities and continues to do so. We describe how the mutually reinforcing 'twin spheres' of conservation science and conservation practice perpetuate this systemic racism. We trace how institutional structures in conservation science (e.g. degree programmes, support and advancement opportunities, course syllabuses) can systematically produce conservation graduates with partial and problematic conceptions of conservation's history and contemporary purposes. Many of these graduates go on to work in conservation practice, reproducing conservation's colonial history by contributing to programmes based on outmoded conservation models that disproportionately harm rural BIPOC communities and further restrict access and inclusion for BIPOC conservationists. We provide practical, actionable proposals for breaking vicious cycles of racism in the system of conservation we have with virtuous cycles of inclusion, equality, equity and participation in the system of conservation we want.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number20211871
JournalProceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume288
Issue number1962
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • anti-racism
  • BIPOC
  • colonialism
  • diversity
  • equity
  • inclusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Environmental Science
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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