Normative conflicts in Bangladesh: Nature/forest conservation, corporate interests and the politics of co-management

Abstract

The proposed chapter will undertake a critique of the co-management approach to nature/forest conservation that supposedly ensures the participation of all relevant stakeholders (i.e. state actors, local communities, NGOs, and business enterprises) in nature/forest conservation projects for “sustainable development." The co-management approach is theoretically guided by the principle of “learning-by-doing” and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the leading global organization that promotes this approach for conserving nature/forests. I argue that the co-management approach is very much apolitical and thus ignores the reality of the power relationship that always exists among the participating stakeholders. However, it is exposed when the implementation of such an approach to nature/forest conservation involves financially influential business actors like Chevron in the case I analyze. In such cases, business interests prevail over nature/forest conservation. And as a result, “sustainable development” becomes a mere pretext; the state and other non-state actors become legitimacy-providers to the whole process. I critique this co-management approach in light of a case study on the Chevron-IUCN business partnership in Bangladesh for conducting a seismic survey in the ecologically sensitive and legally protected Lawachara National Park where the existing forest laws of the country were violated. In terms of methodology, the proposed chapter is largely based on ethnographic research. I have also made use of official e-mails and relevant documents exchanged between Chevron and the IUCN in connection with the seismic survey at the Lawachara National Park.