The political rationalities of governing deforestation in Colombia

Summary

Reducing emissions by deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism that aims to reduce global carbon emissions by protecting tropical forests. The practice of REDD+ implementation varies considerably in different contexts and studies have pointed its persistence despite concrete results. In this article, we focus on how rationalities of government intervene in the translation of REDD+ from the global level to national policy practice in Colombia. From our empirical analysis, we identify four distinct rationalities that intervene in the translation of REDD+: 1) a legal rationality that is derived from the securitization of nature and that aims to implement command-and-control measures in forest margins; 2) a spatial rationality that is rooted in the techno managerial aspects of the international negotiations and that has the ambition to order the forest and make it productive; 3) a market rationality that sees organized enterprises as a promising tool to control deforestation; and 4) an ethnic rationality that pushes to recognize rights and knowledge of ethnic minorities and emphasizes their role in stopping deforestation. The article concludes with discussing the intersection of these different rationalities and the overlapping visions of government that these embody to explain why REDD+ persists as a policy solution. Specifically, while some of these rationalities disenfranchise local actors, the engagement of Indigenous groups with the political rationalities provides an opportunity to leverage local power and authority.