A Political Ecology Approach to Biodiversity Offsets: Addressing Criticisms and Challenges to their Inclusion in the EU 2020 'No-Net-Loss' Initiative
(2016) HEKM50 20161Human Ecology
Department of Human Geography
- Abstract
- Biodiversity offsets have been proposed as part of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy in order to achieve 'no-net-loss' of biodiversity. However, there is a growing number of criticisms towards the use of offsets, particularly from a political ecology approach. Drawing from analysis of key EU documents and working reports, this thesis examines whether the proposed use of biodiversity offsets in the EU will address these criticisms and challenges. In doing so, it brings together cross-disciplinary literature on the design and implementation of biodiversity offsets, along with studies of previous offsetting cases, including three European cases (UK, Germany and France). Emphasising the political ecology approach, it explores how offsetting... (More)
- Biodiversity offsets have been proposed as part of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy in order to achieve 'no-net-loss' of biodiversity. However, there is a growing number of criticisms towards the use of offsets, particularly from a political ecology approach. Drawing from analysis of key EU documents and working reports, this thesis examines whether the proposed use of biodiversity offsets in the EU will address these criticisms and challenges. In doing so, it brings together cross-disciplinary literature on the design and implementation of biodiversity offsets, along with studies of previous offsetting cases, including three European cases (UK, Germany and France). Emphasising the political ecology approach, it explores how offsetting has promoted a definition of nature as exchangeable and replaceable, what contradictions this creates in practice, and how the involvement of private sector, government, and non-government has affected their implementation. It connects previous use and design of offsetting with the political ideology of 'neoliberal conservationism,' which presents these features as commonsensical and promotes an uncritical view of development. By assessing key EU documents using these frameworks, the thesis demonstrates where challenges and criticism remain unaddressed in the proposed use of biodiversity offsetting and offers an explanation of why this may continue. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8873691
- author
- Dunne, Ryan LU
- supervisor
-
- Andreas Malm LU
- organization
- course
- HEKM50 20161
- year
- 2016
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- biodiversity offsets, EU, no net loss, political ecology, neoliberalism, conservationism
- language
- English
- id
- 8873691
- date added to LUP
- 2017-05-22 14:36:36
- date last changed
- 2017-05-22 14:36:36
@misc{8873691, abstract = {{Biodiversity offsets have been proposed as part of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy in order to achieve 'no-net-loss' of biodiversity. However, there is a growing number of criticisms towards the use of offsets, particularly from a political ecology approach. Drawing from analysis of key EU documents and working reports, this thesis examines whether the proposed use of biodiversity offsets in the EU will address these criticisms and challenges. In doing so, it brings together cross-disciplinary literature on the design and implementation of biodiversity offsets, along with studies of previous offsetting cases, including three European cases (UK, Germany and France). Emphasising the political ecology approach, it explores how offsetting has promoted a definition of nature as exchangeable and replaceable, what contradictions this creates in practice, and how the involvement of private sector, government, and non-government has affected their implementation. It connects previous use and design of offsetting with the political ideology of 'neoliberal conservationism,' which presents these features as commonsensical and promotes an uncritical view of development. By assessing key EU documents using these frameworks, the thesis demonstrates where challenges and criticism remain unaddressed in the proposed use of biodiversity offsetting and offers an explanation of why this may continue.}}, author = {{Dunne, Ryan}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{A Political Ecology Approach to Biodiversity Offsets: Addressing Criticisms and Challenges to their Inclusion in the EU 2020 'No-Net-Loss' Initiative}}, year = {{2016}}, }