POSTPONED - Deciphering Environmental Justice in Ecological Restoration Governance in Rwanda

Conservation and restoration of ecosystems are crucial for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change. However, conservation and restoration interventions are oftentimes limited in their effectiveness due to challenges related to addressing power asymmetries. These asymmetries may lead to the inequitable distribution of benefits, causing conflicts with local communities' aspirations, and risking the disengagement of the local population. Drawing on a currently establishing case study from Rwanda, this presentation reflects on how power imbalances in environmental governance may influence environmental equity outcomes in conservation and restoration interventions. Building on previous suggestions to broaden intersectional analysis that acknowledges and addresses power dynamics, this talk offers a platform for discussing the improvement of implementation pathways through place-based research.

Jacqueline Loos is an Assistant Professor for Conservation Biology at the University of Vienna, where she seeks to bring in her interdisciplinary background from landscape sustainability science. She held a Junior Professorship for Research into the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources at Leuphana University with a project critically investigating conservation effectiveness in Tanzania and Zambia. Her current projects that take place in Germany, Rwanda and Zambia scrutinize conservation and restoration effectiveness through an environmental equity perspective.

Virtual session (via zoom) provided upon registration: https://forms.gle/mERQCfYd2uyTcbNGA