A discursive analysis of neoliberal forest conservation efforts in Guyana and Suriname

Project status:

Ongoing

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has risen to represent the largest and most widely accepted current form of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) initiatives in the international arena. This mechanism, which aims to incentivize the preservation of standing forests in developing countries, is being spearheaded by international organizations largely with developed country support and has been recently included as a mitigation option in the Paris accords (COP21). Neoliberal means of managing the global environment, such as REDD+, are widening in influence, with the logic and order of neoliberalism being used to manage issues traditionally relegated outside of the market. In my research, I seek to ascertain the extent to which neoliberal conservation is leading to beneficial social and ecological outcomes through new conceptualizations of development. I situate this within the critical approach to development dominance, and to the adoption of neoliberal tenets for the management of environmental problems. I use as a case study the preparation for and implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives in the geographically South American, but Caribbean states of Guyana and Suriname where these mechanisms are being pursued. I identify the three discourses which embody REDD+ preparation in these areas and highlight how the post-colonial histories of these countries continue to influence policy interventions like REDD+. In order to do this, I draw on the theoretical contributions of Foucault (1980), Scott (1998) and Agrawal (2005) to interrogate the power relations behind the fragmented subjectivities of persons thought to be directly affected by REDD+ activities in Guyana and Suriname. I also draw heavily on the insights of the burgeoning body of literature on neoliberal nature provided by authors such as Fletcher (2010) and Buscher (2013).

Y Ariadne Collins is a PhD candidate at Central European University, Budapest. She holds a Masters in Research (MRes) in International Environmental Policy and Politics (Distinction) from the University of Westminster, London and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Guyana. She has worked with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional integrating body of the Caribbean region, for a number of years and has interned with non-governmental and international organisations in Guyana, Suriname, the United States and the United Kingdom. Advisor: Guntra Aistara