Going beyond diverse worldviews for conservation: response to Kohler et al

Abstract

Kohler et al. (2019) propose that effective conservation requires a pluralistic approach that engages seriously with the worldviews of all stakeholders. The authors argue that taking into account “alternative framings of the biosocial complex that recognize nature’s intrinsic value” can motivate both social change and effective conservation on a local scale. We agree with the importance of incorporating a broader range of worldviews into conservationist practice and concur that legal innovations that articulate the rights of nature represent a step forward. Nonetheless, we believe Kohler et al.’s proposal does not include a number of issues—extensively studied in the social sciences—that must be considered to achieve a conservation that truly embraces diversity: that multiculturalism offers a false promise; the oversimplification of indigenous and local perspectives; that power relations between different types of knowledge need foregrounding; and that local knowledge and practice are not separate, discrete entities.