When "Protecting Nature" Harms Its True Guardians with Anuradah Mittal

Breaking Green

What if conservation efforts meant to protect our planet were actually causing significant harm to the very people who have safeguarded these lands for generations? Join us on Breaking Green as we uncover the startling truth with Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute. Through the lens of their report, "From Abuse to Power," we expose the severe human rights abuses reportedly inflicted upon indigenous communities by "EcoGuards" — funded by prominent NGOs like the World Wildlife Fund.
We'll explore the deeply rooted colonial and racist undertones of the conservation industry, particularly in Africa. Discover how powerful international institutions and donor countries perpetuate a model that expels indigenous people from their ancestral lands. The conversation contrasts Western views that see humanity as a threat to nature with indigenous perspectives that emphasize harmony with the environment.
On this episode of Breaking Green, we will talk with founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, Anyarada Mitall. Anyarada is an internationally renowned expert on issues of human rights, agriculture, development and conservation policies. Under Anyarada's leadership, the Oakland Institute has unveiled land investment deals in the developing world to expose a disturbing pattern of lack of transparency, fairness and accountability. Anyarada has authored and edited numerous books and reports. Her articles and opinion pieces have been published in widely circulated newspapers and she is frequently interviewed on CNN, BBC World, CBC, ABC, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.
Find Oakland Institute's report "From Abuse to Power" here.
This podcast is produced by Global Justice Ecology Project.
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Chapters

1. Introduction Breaking Green (00:00:00)

2. Oakland Institute (00:01:43)

3. Report "From Abuse to Power" (00:02:24)

4. Are US Agencies Involved? (00:05:12)

5. Motives of the "Conservation Industry" (00:09:30)

6. Myth of "People-less Wilderness" (00:12:21)

7. A Victory in Tanzania (00:18:22)

8. 30 x 30 Proposal (00:25:39)

9. US Fish and Wildlife Service Involved? (00:32:01)

10. Extraction (00:32:59)

11. Tourism (00:35:05)

12. Outro (00:35:55)