Political ecology and land degradation: how does the land lie 21 years after Blaikie and Brookfield's land degradation and society?

Jones, Samantha (2008) Political ecology and land degradation: how does the land lie 21 years after Blaikie and Brookfield's land degradation and society? Geography Compass, 2 (3). pp. 671-694. ISSN 1749-8198

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

The application of political ecology approaches to the study of land degradation since Blaikie and Brookfield's (1987) book are notably scant in the academic literature. This brief review traces the way in which the field of political ecology has evolved towards a tendency to question the extent and 'narratives' of degradation. It illustrates how studies that have examined the causes of degradation have concentrated on single relationships (e.g. between land degradation and poverty or population) albeit recognising the mediating effects of other variables such as institutions; rather than examining the multiple causes operating at different scales as the political ecology approach advocates. The influence of post-structuralism has been strong and some suggest that philosophical debates seem to be leading towards a 'dissolution of political ecology' (perhaps only in its early form). Yet, there are calls for a return to appreciating the influence of political economy on land degradation. Some authors note that it is possible for a revived political ecology approach to benefit from the insights of post-structural political ecology, while still providing a basis for informed policy recommendations.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Political ecology, Land degradation
Subjects:	F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences
Department:	Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Geography and Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	EPrint Services
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2009 13:36
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2019 00:24
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/1287

Downloads