Les anonymes de la conservation: Nature, contradiction et injustice dans l’Éthiopie contemporaine (Simien, 1963-2019)

Global conservation efforts, particularly within UNESCO World Heritage Sites, often perpetuate social injustice by enforcing strict environmental protections that disproportionately affect local communities. A case study of Simien National Park in Ethiopia reveals how resettlement policies, driven by international conservation recommendations and authoritarian state influence, have displaced over 2500 inhabitants while continuing to impose fines or imprisonment on those remaining within the park for traditional land use practices. This research highlights the neo-Malthusian perspective promoted by global conservation institutions, which views African environments as both pristine and degraded—a paradox that undermines sustainable coexistence. Interviews with guards, farmers, and former residents expose the moral and political discrimination embedded in such policies, underscoring a broader trend where external conservation ethics marginalize local communities without addressing their economic or social needs.

Blanc, G. (2019). Les anonymes de la conservation: Nature, contradiction et injustice dans l’Éthiopie contemporaine (Simien, 1963-2019). Journal for the History of Environment and Society, 4, 103–131. https://doi.org/10.1484/j.jhes.5.120677