Ecological Restoration in “Liquid Societies”

Abstract

This article tells the story of possibly the first ecological restoration project in the postsocialist world (1994), which is an example of a broader set of ecological restorations carried out in Eastern Europe. By exploring the two intertwined processes of the ecological restoration of an island in the Danube Delta and the advancement of neoliberal economic ideas through land reform, decollectivization, and land privatization, we contribute to the understanding of ecological restoration in societies in turmoil. We engage a social sciences perspective in order to show the entanglement between ecological restoration processes and institutions, political arrangements, and various forms of land tenure. This theoretical perspective also shows a model all too often present in ecological restoration projects: a proclivity for adopting a neoliberal approach toward administrating natural resources at the expense of local ecological knowledge and the local administration of natural resources.

Assessing the role of actors in river restoration: A network perspective

“…On the contrary, local partners are missing from this successful partnership. In Romania, restoration solutions are mostly perceived as technical projects, with no interest in local traditional knowledge [ 9 ]. The presence of international partners that exclude local partners suggests a dominant top-down approach in river restoration in Romania, as well the need for technical expertise.…”

“…Therefore, river restoration is as much about nature as it is about navigating through actors, political agendas and tenure arrangements [ 9 ]. Different restoration trends may be explained by the different types of stakeholders and professions involved [ 6 ].…”