Restoration for Whom, by Whom? A Feminist Political Ecology of Restoration

Abstract

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) frames restoration as a momentous nature-based solution for achieving many of the ecological, economic, and social objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, a critical void lies at the heart of this agenda: the lack of attention to social and political dimensions of nature and restoration initiatives. At this critical juncture, urgent attention is needed to the power and politics that shape the values, meanings, and science driving restoration; and to the uneven experiences of these processes as national restoration pledges touch down in diverse and unequal contexts. In this introduction to the special issue on "Restoration for Whom, by Whom?", we critically examine the social inclusivity of restoration agendas, policies, and practices as these unfold across ecological and geographic scales. We argue that feminist political ecology (FPE), with its focus on gendered power relations, scale integration, and historical awareness, and its critique of the commodification of nature, offers a valuable lens through which to examine the socio-political and economic dynamics of restoration. Taking an FPE perspective, we elucidate how the ten papers comprising the special issue challenge mainstream narratives of environmental sustainability and suggest more grounded and nuanced ways forward for inclusive restoration initiatives. In conclusion, we highlight the urgency of addressing the systemic fault lines that create exclusions in restoration policies and practice; and the need to legitimize the plural voices, values, situated knowledges, and paths to sustainably transform degraded landscapes.

Vulnerabilities and Threats to Natural Forest Regrowth: Land Tenure Reform, Land Markets, Pasturelands, Plantations, and Urbanization in Indigenous Communities in Mexico

“…The social and political dimensions of restoration are critical to shaping restoration projects and their outcomes [4,113,114]. Unequal power relations between the State and local communities, as well as among communities and sectors within them, limit the development of diverse management projects and agendas.…”

“…If the scale of landscape restoration were to grow, increasingly, more investment of time and money would be necessary for negotiations, especially if such initiatives attempt to increase participation by-and the equity of-marginalized communities. This is seldom recognized by global environmental initiatives, such as the Bonn Challenge, which evaluate restoration success in terms of area under tree cover and carbon sequestration [114].…”

Ten people‐centered rules for socially sustainable ecosystem restoration

“…Developed for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, among others, our rules follow from a special issue in Ecological Restoration (Elias et al 2021). They apply to reforestation, like di Sacco et al’s (2021), but equally to restoration of marine ecosystems (Lee et al 2021), lakes (Sen et al 2021), wetlands (Joshi et al 2021), and other ecosystems.…”

Primer of Ecological Restoration, Karen D Holl (2020) Island Press, Washington D.C., U.S.A.,224 pages, $24.50 (paperback),ISBN978–1–61091–972–2. Also available as an E‐book.

“…She argues, “Both the success of ecological restoration projects and the cultivation of more equitable and thriving communities can be nurtured through careful, place‐based practice” (Pearce 2022, p 1), which carefully attend to both the ecological and social dimensions of land and cultural degradation. A recent issue of Ecological Restoration looks at the newly inaugurated UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to ask, “who sets restoration agendas and for whom, why and how, and what other political and economic interests and mandates influence these agendas?” (Elias et al 2021). For example, to what extent do restoration practices simply extend rather than disrupt the current dominant neoliberal economic paradigm?…”

“…Increasingly people interested in restoration are raising these and other critical ethical issues. The past year alone articles in Restoration Ecology and Ecological Restoration raise issues of gender inclusion (de Siqueira et al 2021), equity (Wells et al 2021), feminist political ecology and neoliberal economics (Elias et al 2021), and Indigenous voices and TEK (Robinson et al 2021), a promising trend for a more inclusive and just restoration practice. Using these to complement Holl's otherwise very fine primer makes for an excellent introduction to ecological restoration.…”