Colonial processes did impact the “natural” environment of the Pacific islands in multiple ways. European settlers also attempted to impose their own worldviews, beliefs and languages, as well as new forms of political and social organization, economies and ways of life, to Pacific peoples. Such processes, in which Pacific peoples were not passive, have implied changes in local relationships with the land and the sea. More recently, European (including Euro-Australian and Euro-American) engagements in the Pacific have introduced new concepts and ideals, such as sustainability, in response to local concerns for future livelihoods in the context of global climate change. European aid and collaboration frameworks are at the core of the current reshaping of Pacific peoples’ discourses and actions with regard to the environment. Pacific states need such investment and assistance to face increasing environmental issues, which threaten their very territorial existence. Yet, these exogenous engagements also involve requirements and norms that do not necessarily fit well with local practices, ideas and aspirations. What lessons can be learnt from the past? What is the current state of Europe-Pacific relationships with regard to environmental issues? What are the similarities and differences throughout the Pacific region, and how can they be analyzed? What processes are currently implemented to adapt to postcolonial and emergent environmental threats, and what are the purposes and roles of each stakeholder? What human/non-human relationships, and social relationships, are the latter imagining and building for next generations? What are the governance arrangements and issues revealed in this context? To what extent can Pacific peoples define their own priorities and modes of action? The panel aims to strengthen the dialogue between European and Pacific scholars around such and related questions. It should produce a cross-disciplinary and comparative overview of environmental challenges in the Pacific; challenges that are also political, economic and social. Proposed papers could for instance address: • the historical and political construction of environmental issues in the Pacific; • the articulation between international/European frameworks, national public policies, regional bodies, and local practices (including in the context of protected areas and UNESCO’s World Heritage processes); • case studies of local initiatives in the domains of natural resource management, biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change; • the maintenance and development of economic activities and skills for sustainability purposes, for instance in the domains of fisheries, horticulture, forestry, ecotourism, sports, arts and crafts, or carbon abatement; • new routes and media for exchange of ecological species and ideas; • and the links between environmental challenges and land tenure issues.
Paper submissions are closed