How does foreign policy shape nature conservation in Africa? Political ecologist Dr. Jennifer Jones takes up that issue during the Environmental Studies Department Colloquium, Friday, February 3, at 11:30 a.m. in AUNE’s Community Room.
Her topic, “Invasion of the NGOs: Nature, Territory and Identity in Tanzania,” will look at who stands to benefit from “conservation and development” schemes in Tanzania, home of the Serengeti National Park and the Maasai people. She will also address the role of BiNGOs (big international nongovernmental organizations), foreign direct investment, and development agencies in local decision making.
Jones is the program director for the International Honors Program on Beyond Globalization: Reclaiming Nature, Culture, and Justice and is adjunct faculty at Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. As a political ecologist, her interests include nature conservation policy, local livelihoods, animal rights, and food justice. She served as a visiting professor of environmental studies at Williams College and spent five years in South Africa researching the impacts of protected areas on local communities.
