1. Professor Rosaleen Duffy University of Sheffield
Interventionism, global security and the new era of biodiversity conservation
Professor Rosaleen Duffy
University of Sheffield

2. Securing Conservation
Confluence of the dynamics of capitalism, technological innovation and concerns about global security
Conservation has always reflected wider global context eg decentralisation and CBNRM, neoliberalism and PES/natural capital/carbon forestry
Current convergence in Mbombe Parabot

3. Accumulation by Securitisation
Massé and Lunstrum (2016) analyse the Greater Lebombo Conservancy (GLC), South Africa
It draws together private land in a frontier zone ‘ in which massive tracts of land have been enclosed and consolidated for the purposes of wildlife conservation, the expansion of tourism-related investment capital, and especially wildlife security’ Massé and Lunstrum (2016)

4. Virunga Netflix film ‘Virunga’ Conservation is War
Marijnen (2016, 2017) integation of donor funding (EC) philanthro-capitalists (Howard G Buffett), conservation (Virunga Alliance) and intergated approach between ICCN and Congolese military
Development of 7 hydro electricity plants followign ‘stabilisation’ -conservation and security to facilitate its development

5. Neoliberalisation of Nature
New frontiers in non human nature opened to capitalist logics via commodification (Castree, Brenner and Theodore, Büscher)
Environmental fix for capitalism via selling nature to save it (McAfee, 2012)

6. Neoliberalisation of nature
Ecotourism/last change to see tourism
Renders the environmental crises produced by capitalism as new sources of accumulation
Side steps O’Connors second contradiction of capitalism

7. The Security Phase
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP: ‘the scale and role of wildlife and forest crime in threat finance calls for much wider policy attention’
Claims that wildlife trafficking and poaching constitute threat finance because they fund organised crime and terrorism

8. Security Phase
Wildlife trafficking estimated value of US$7.8–$10 billion p.a. (TRAFFIC 2014)
Major policy concern of EU, UK, US; increased government funding, eg 2016 EU Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking and EU Action Plan on the fight against terrorist financing
increased support from philanthropists eg US $25 million from Howard G. Buffett Foundation, £15 million from UK Government

9. Questionable claims
Elephant Action League criticised for the claim that Al Shabaab was funded by trading 30.6 tonnes of ivory p.a.
UNEP report refers to the claims as highly unreliable
But the story ‘stuck’

10. Why Integration?
1. Development of a global context of the Us Led War on Terror
2. Increasing application of military technologies and military approaches to wildlife conservation

11. Why integration?
3.Innovations in military and surveillance technologies drives a search for new markets;
rise in digital conservation
Rise in privatised security, also searching for new markets

12. Conclusion
Incorrect diagnosis of the challenges facing conservation and security
Produces material outcomes: poor and counter productive responses