Lezing
SG - The Role of Fantasies of Nature in Biodiversity Politics
What do political fantasies have to do with biodiversity governance? Come and find out tonight, and explore both their origins and their implications.
About lecture series 'Governing Biodiversity'
With biodiversity levels dwindling in many ecosystems around the globe, the urgency of taking action to stop this decline and to restore biodiversity is increasingly felt. The UN Biodiversity Conference that took place in Montreal last December illustrates biodiversity’s rise on the political agenda, as well as the heated debates regarding the matter. In this programme, we reflect on the governance of biodiversity and its challenges. How can we understand diverging views when it comes to the best way to protect, manage and enhance biodiversity? What happens when competing interests and unintended consequences factor in? And last but not least, what do political fantasies have to do with it? Explore and discuss these issues in this lecture series!
About The Role of Fantasies of Nature in Biodiversity Politics
Tonight, expert in forest and nature conservation Jelle Behagel explores with us how our engagement with nature is steered by deep-rooted desires and fears. How is this mirrored in the way we shape biodiversity governance? Guided by the psycho-analytical idea of fantasy, Behagel argues that the split between self and other and the split between man and nature are deeply entwined. What then are the implications for the way we develop nature policies and, moreover, for how we see ourselves?
During the evening, we take time to reflect on our fantasies of nature: what are they, what do they tell us about who we are, and do they offer hope for the future of our planet? And how do some fantasies support a more substantial and ambitious biodiversity policy where others do not?
About Jelle Behagel
Jelle Behagel is associate professor at the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group of Wageningen University & Research. He is an expert on the politics of forest and nature conservation, with a special interest in Latin America. Jelle works on topics that include zero deforestation commitments and commodity trade, discourses of forest and nature conservation, and the role of political fantasy in environmental diplomacy and governance. He teaches multiple courses on political and social theory of forest and nature conservation and is coordinator of the special Master track on Sustainable Development Diplomacy (SDD).