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The Non-human Borderlands: Engaging with Ecological Justice and Indigenous Rights in Amazonia

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Indigenous Amazonia, Regional Development and Territorial Dynamics

Part of the book series: The Latin American Studies Book Series ((LASBS))

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Abstract

Indigenous rights’ relationship to ecological justice in Amazonia has not been explicitly explored in the literature. As social scientists rarely talk about violence against non-humans, this case study of conservation in Amazonia will explore this new area of concern. Ethical inquiries in conservation also engage with the manifold ways through which human and non-human lives are entangled and emplaced within wider ecological relationships, converging in the notion of environmental justice, which often fails to account for overt violence or exploitation of non-humans. Reflecting on this omission, this chapter discusses the applicability of engaged social science and conservation to habitat destruction in Amazonia, and broader contexts involving violence against non-humans. The questions addressed in this chapter are: Is the idea of ecological justice sufficiently supported in conservation debate, and more practical Amazonian contexts? Can advocacy of inherent rights be applied to the case of non-humans? Can indigenous communities still be considered ‘traditional’ considering population growth and increased consumptive practices? Concluding that the existing forms of justice are inadequate in dealing with the massive scale of non-human abuse, this chapter provides directions for conservation that engage with deep ecology and ecological justice in the Amazonian context.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Business Management Studies, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Johanna Westerdijkplein 75, 2521 EN Den Haag, Hague, The Netherlands

    Helen Kopnina

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  1. Helen Kopnina
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Correspondence to Helen Kopnina .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Brunei Darussalam

    Victor T. King

  3. State University of Roraima, Boa Vista, Brazil

    Ismar Borges de Lima

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Kopnina, H. (2020). The Non-human Borderlands: Engaging with Ecological Justice and Indigenous Rights in Amazonia. In: Leal Filho, W., King, V., Borges de Lima, I. (eds) Indigenous Amazonia, Regional Development and Territorial Dynamics. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29153-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29153-2_14

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