The Middle-Class Conservationist: Social Dramas, Blurred Identity Boundaries, and Their Environmental Consequences in Mexican Conservation

Power, identity and biodiversity conservation in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico

“…Chol, Tzeltal and Lacandon comuneros, agree to be "rainforest guardians", assimilating an identity feature created by powerful agents, such as the government and NGOs. However, Chols and Tzeltals are not as successful as the Lacandons at representing themselves as genuine indigenous people who really care for the forest, because identity is created and recreated through interactions, in this case, particularly between local people and conservationists (Campbell 2005;Haenn 2016). Outside institutions like CONANP, PROFEPA and national and international NGOs, contribute to shaping identity positions and reinforcing the Lacandons' privileged identity, allowing them to have more influence in the decision-making process in MABR than Choles and Tzeltals (Trench 2002).…”

“…However, at the same time, the existence of MABR represents, for some peasants, an opportunity to gain access to institutional and financial resources. In this context, identity should not be understood as a stable and coherent feature of groups and individuals, but as a complex and sometimes contradictory construction with flexible fringes, that takes different forms as peasants fight to reconcile their personal desires with biodiversity conservation (Braubaker and Cooper 2000;Haenn 2016;Vadjunec et al 2011b). Identity in the LR, as in other regions shaped by conservation such as the Amazon (Brazil, Ecuador), the Petén (Guatemala) or Calakmul (Campeche, Mexico) is a tool of political struggle and may, at times, be strategically mobilized to achieve specific goals and to challenge dominant paradigms and propose better alternatives for local people's aspirations (Li 2000;Navarro Olmedo et al 2015;Perrault 2001;Sundberg 2004Sundberg , 2006Vadjunec 2011b).…”

“…Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize as Haenn (2016) did, that conservation actors like government officials, peasants or NGO employees are not uniform groups. Porous identity boundaries between those actors can exist and frontiers can be crossed to gain power or reinforce power hierarchies (Haenn 2016). The LR is a setting where huge cultural, political and economic differences will always be present; hence, an analysis of the relationship between identity and conservation is essential to dealing with the environmental issues in the area.…”

Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Community Forest Management: Evolution and Limitations in Mexican Forest Law, Policy and Practice

“…In some cases, these actors closely collaborate with academia [102,188]. Moreover, technical services often have strong personal ties with local forest communities and some are native of local forest communities themselves [189,190]. The role individual life histories and identities play in the conceptualization and integration of diverse forest knowledge would require further study.…”

Contesting ‘Deforestation’: Civil Society Movements and Knowledge Co-Production in Indonesia

“…Fifth, local conservation efforts are deeply connected to global forces, which needs to be scrutinized (see Kareiva & Marvier, 2012). The formation of conservation knowledge often works along what Haenn described as the porous boundaries between middle class conservationist and non-capitalist peasants, implying a process of cultural sharing between these groups in defining political interest (see Haenn, 2016).…”