Is forest regeneration good for biodiversity? Exploring the social dimensions of an apparently ecological debate

•Ecological and social desirability of forest regeneration in uplands is disputed.•We propose a conceptual framework for comparative discourse analysis.•We identify three discourses within four European protected areas.•Discourses derive from different ecologies, ideas, interests and institutions.•P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & policy 2021-06, Vol.120, p.63-72
Main Authors: Barnaud, Cécile, Fischer, Anke, Staddon, Sam, Blackstock, Kirsty, Moreau, Clémence, Corbera, Esteve, Hester, Alison, Mathevet, Raphaël, McKee, Annie, Reyes, Joana, Sirami, Clélia, Eastwood, Antonia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Comparative study
Discourse analysis
Ecology
Ekologi
Forest Science
Life Sciences
Political ecology
Power
Rewilding
Skogsvetenskap
Social Psychology
Socialpsykologi
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Summary:•Ecological and social desirability of forest regeneration in uplands is disputed.•We propose a conceptual framework for comparative discourse analysis.•We identify three discourses within four European protected areas.•Discourses derive from different ecologies, ideas, interests and institutions.•Power struggles and discourse-coalitions shape forest regeneration policies. Forest regeneration is a major land-use change in European uplands, and whether or not this is a desirable change for biodiversity is disputed. While this debate seems to be largely situated in the field of natural sciences, this paper aims to also examine its social dimensions. To do so, we adopt a comparative discourse analysis with four cases of protected areas in France, Spain, and Scotland. We draw on a conceptual framework highlighting both the ecological and social factors underpinning the construction of environmental discourses. It notably emphasises the role of interests, ideas and institutions, and the power dynamics underpinning discourse-coalitions. We show how diverging discourses emerged, gained ground, coalesced and competed differently in different contexts, explaining the adoption of seemingly opposite discourses by protected area authorities. These findings reaffirm the need to conceive environmental governance as an on-going deliberative process in order to achieve environmental justice.
ISSN:1462-9011
1873-6416
1873-6416
DOI:10.1016/j.envsci.2021.02.012