Answering the "Call of the Mountain" : co-creating sustainability through networks of change in Colombia

Abstract

This has been not just a personal research journey, but a family endeavour in exploring 'other ways' of critically facing an increasingly unsustainable world. I give special thanks to my husband Thomas and son Mateo for their support, patience and accompaniment, as well as my parents and sisters who have always given me support when I needed it. Chapter 1. 'Other Ways or the Highway': An Introduction to a Research JourneySince I was a child, I have been exposed to nature and its delights. I would spend every vacation with my family (which in Colombian standards is at least 30 people) in natural areas around Colombia -fishing, catching shrimp, running after fireflies and grasshoppers, and listening to stories and songs from the places we visited. My goal ever since has been to be close to Nature: To enjoy it, to study it, to conserve it, to defend it. This was my plan when I started studying Biology at La Universidad del Valle in Colombia in the year 1997. In those days it was difficult and even dangerous to leave the city to visit natural places in the countryside, as 'las pescas milagrosas' (miraculous fishing expeditions) were a common activity of the left-wing guerrilla movement (FARC). FARC members would stop cars on highway roadblocks and randomly kidnap people to ask for ransoms. I therefore carried out little fieldwork during myBachelor studies, instead concentrating on learning about nature through classes, books and theories. I graduated as an entomologist, specializing in social insects (e.g. ants and bees) whom I feel are fascinating creatures who have a lot to teach human societies.The type of scientist I was taught to be was that of the 'expert': always objective, relying only on what can be measured, replicated, and deemed statistically significant. This meant working in areas where this type of expert knowledge was in demand. When I started working as an entomologist, I quickly realized that rather than working with nature to increase knowledge into natural ecosystems, in practice my job was to work against nature: specifically, how to control the 'pest' problem of ant colonies on agricultural farms. It slowly dawned on me that nature and society were at 'war.' Against the trend of my biologist friends at that time ( 2004), I decided to 'leave the forest' and work with people to raise awareness of the tragedies taking place in nature. To pursue this I carried out an MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation, at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, specializing in policy and community based conservation. During my studies I learnt about such concepts as Climate Change, Payment for environmental services (PES), UN-REDD+ Programme (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and many other market-based and community-based conservation strategies. For my MSc thesis I was determined to save the Chapter 2 Key Concepts and TheoriesThis thesis engages with two academic fields that address social movements: Sociology of Development and Change (SDC) and Soc...