25.09.2023

Recording now online: Discussion series "Nature conservation and resource exploitation in a (neo-)colonial context"

On 21 September 2023, the Heinrich Böll Foundation hosted the online panel discussion on "Nature conservation and resource exploitation in a (neo-)colonial context". IEG staff Dr. Bernhard Gißibl, Dr. Shruti Nath, Prof. Dr. Aby Sène and Dr. Philmon Ghirmai were on the panel. The event was part of the series "Decolonial Dialogues" and was broadcasted live. the recording is now available online in German.


The industrialisation of the Global North, which has played a significant role in the climate crisis on its current scale, would not have been possible without the (violent) exploitation of the natural resources of the Global South. At the same time, nature conservation was an integral part of the colonial project. The "preservation of nature" in its "wild" state served to secure power and was closely linked to land grabbing, expulsion and oppression.

Both continue to have a massive impact today and continue to shape the local landscapes and European-African relations. The event wants to get to the bottom of this and enter into dialogue on common starting points for the global fight against the climate crisis.