Sveriges Antropologförbund SANT Conference 2023 - Round table discussion

Round Table Abstract

Last year, a ‘historic deal’ was struck during the COP15 meeting on biodiversity in Montreal. Almost 200 countries around the world (with the conspicuous absence of the US) agreed to protect and restore biodiversity in thirty percent of our planet’s terrestrial, inland water, costal and marine areas. The new biodiversity agenda, which also asserted the rights of indigenous people, local communities, and women, was met with enthusiasm by environmental researchers and activists. And yet, this expanded vision of biodiversity only goes so far. Only the biodiversity in protected areas and sites of ‘high ecological integrity,’ are identified as areas worthy of care (baring a mention to urban biodiversity in goal 12). Introduced, so called invasive aliens, are framed as villains whose mobility and populations need to be controlled and, if needed, eradicated (goal 6). This highly selective understanding of biodiversity builds on a we-who-belong and-them-who-intrude logic and…