240519 SE The Economy of Conservation: Theoretical Approaches to Ecotourism and Neoliberalism (P4) (2016W)

This seminar has a twofold agenda: it seeks to analyze the literature on Nature Conservation within a neoliberal economic context and test it against empirical resources. It is therefore open to all participants interested in the (political) economy of nature conservation. Yet the second focus is to create an opportunity to screen empirical data gathered in the filed practice on iSimangaliso in South Africa (May/June 2016) and therefore to create a space for feedback for the paper production on this empirical sources. Those participants who did not take part in the field practice are expected to take a more general theoretical outlook and test it against the personal experiences of those who participated. iSimangaliso became South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999. It seeks to protect a tremendously rich biodiversity and at the same time assist the local communities with various programs to give them access to potential revenues of the natural resources, including eco-tourism. It is therefore an exciting example of integrated rural development and nature conservation under the overall paradigm of social transformation.
The key aim is basically coherent with the focus of the field practice; i.e. Creating awareness on the overall topics of CBNRM, integrative approaches of nature conservation and economic development.