Governing Anti-conservation Sentiments: Forest Politics in Laos

Abstract

In many developing countries, conservation is regarded in a negative manner and this supports critical framings of conservation as a form of government or imperialism. This article examines debates about conservation and forests in Laos, and in particular, at the site of the World Bank supported Nam Theun 2 hydropower project that has featured prominently in international and national critiques of conservation. In Laos, foreign-driven conservation initiatives have at times challenged nationwide aspirations for development. But a fuller understanding of Lao concerns requires attention not only to international interventions, but also to perspectives of forests and management of these resources by the Lao state. Most significantly, a widely shared idea of foreign conservation as opposed to Lao development is used to elide the emergent competition between the state and rural villagers over forest resources. Anti-conservation sentiments, like their converse, can thus be used as strategies of government.

Appetites and aspirations: Consuming wildlife in Laos

“…National development is the dominant discourse in Laos, and wildlife consumption may appear irrelevant to this concern. However, beliefs about wildlife consumption actually express the ambivalence surrounding development because of the interlinked dialectical contrasts of muang-pa, conservation-development and foreign-Lao identities (Singh 2009a). People in Laos frequently express yearnings for the wealth and prosperity that foreign countries have, but they do not express yearnings to be foreigners.…”

“…At a personal level, he was struggling with the widespread notion that Lao people who consume wildlife are distinct from foreigners who want to protect wildlife. The Lao–foreigner contrast is central in politicised perceptions of conservation and development throughout Laos (Singh 2009a), and the social act of wildlife consumption is a potent means of constructing boundaries between these social groups.…”

“…This has had a huge effect on wildlife hunting, trade and consumption in Laos and is likely to have influenced Lao beliefs about wildlife consumption. Wildlife also intersects in a distinctive manner with global conservation concerns, which are driven by foreign donors and are often seen as opposed to Lao interests (Singh 2009a). The use of all types of wildlife has thus become quite sensitised, and much of the trade in wildlife is surreptitious and foreigners asking questions about wildlife are often viewed with suspicion (Singh 2008).…”

Media framing of spiders may exacerbate arachnophobic sentiments

“…Studies suggest that these emotional feelings toward wildlife are inborn (Davey et al, 1998;DeLoache, Pickard, & LoBue, 2010;Prokop & Tunnicliffe, 2008;Strommen, 1995), often recurring with striking similarities across diverse cultural settings (Davey et al, 1998). As a direct consequence, animal-related emotions end up playing a key role in scientific and socio-political debates around both the management and conservation of wildlife (Drijfhout, Kendal, & Green, 2020;Frank, Johansson, & Flykt, 2015;Jones, 2006;Singh, 2009;Straka, Miller, & Jacobs, 2020;Zainal Abidin & Jacobs, 2019), and in the perception of risk (Bombieri et al, 2018;Hathaway et al, 2017;Knopff, Knopff, & St. Clair, 2016;Nanni et al, 2020).…”

Media representation of spiders may exacerbate arachnophobic sentiments by framing a distorted perception of risk

“…Studies suggest that emotional feelings toward wildlife are, indeed, in-born (Strommen, 1995;Davey et al, 1998;Prokop & Tunnicliffe, 2008;DeLoache, Pickard, & LoBue, 2010), often recurring with striking similarities across diverse cultural settings (Davey et al, 1998). As a direct consequence, animals-related emotions end up playing a key role in scientific and socio-political debates around both the management and conservation of wildlife (Jones, 2006;Singh, 2009;Frank, Johansson, & Flykt, 2015;Zainal Abidin & Jacobs, 2019;Drijfhout, Kendal, & Green, 2020;Straka, Miller, & Jacobs, 2020), and in the perception of risk (Knopff, Knopff, & St. Clair, 2016;Hathaway et al, 2017;Bombieri et al, 2018;Nanni et al, 2020).…”