LIBBY LUNSTRUM

My research begins with a recognition that the conservation of biodiversity is indeed a global (and local) good but that the costs of protecting and rebuilding nature tend to be experienced locally, especially by already marginalized communities. While my earlier (and ongoing) work has foregrounded the ways in which conservation has led to various forms of dispossession and militarization, my current work recalibrates to focus on solutions. I’m particularly interested in what ‘doing conservation differently’ can look like, ensuring it is both ecologically and socially sustainable. Much of my work is united around the theme of ecological restoration, or how to rebuild ecological processes and human connections with nature after they have been degraded or destroyed. My work is located empirically in the South African-Mozambican borderlands and the Canada-U.S. borderlands that cross Blackfoot Territory. I appreciate the privilege of being able to consider broader global trends and global best practices through the following projects.