Transforming the Frontier: Peace Parks and the Politics of Neoliberal Conservation in Southern Africa

Transfrontier conservation projects, often touted as 'win-win' solutions for biodiversity protection and regional development, are more deeply intertwined with neoliberal political economies than previously acknowledged. Bram Büscher's study of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project reveals that these initiatives derive their strength from strategies of consensus, antipolitics, and marketing rather than genuine on-the-ground development efforts. Through extensive ethnographic research, Büscher argues that transfrontier conservation reframes environmental protection and sustainable development to align with a contradictory global order, often at the expense of local priorities.

Büscher, B. (2020). Transforming the Frontier. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822399087