The Ecotourism-Extraction Nexus: Political Economies and Rural Realities of (un)Comfortable Bedfellows(Routledge ISS Studies in Rural Livelihoods)

Ecotourism and natural resource extraction may be seen as contradictory pursuits, yet in reality they often take place side by side, sometimes even supported by the same institutions. Existing academic and policy literatures generally overlook the phenomenon of ecotourism in areas concurrently affected by extraction industries, but such a scenario is in fact increasingly common in resource-rich developing nations. This edited volume conceptualises and empirically analyses the ‘ecotourism-extraction nexus’ within the context of broader rural and livelihood changes in the places where these activities occur. The volume’s central premise is that these seemingly contradictory activities are empirically and conceptually more alike than often imagined, and that they share common ground in ethnographic lived experiences in rural settings and broader political economic structures of power and control. The book offers theoretical reflections on why ecotourism and natural resource extraction are systematically decoupled, and epistemologically and analytically re-links them through ethnographic case studies drawing on research from around the world. It should be of interest to students and professionals engaged in the disciplines of geography, anthropology and development studies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Rosaleen Duffy 1. Introduction: The ecotourism-extraction nexus Veronica Davidov and Bram Büscher 2. Conceptualising Lived Experiences within the Political Economy of the Ecotourism-Extraction Nexus Bram Büscher and Veronica Davidov 3. Gems of Ankarana: The commodification and generification of Madagascar’s natural wonders Andrew Walsh 4. Horticulture in Harmony with Wildlife: The awkward marriage of ecotourism and industrial floriculture in Naivasha, Kenya Megan Styles 5. Between the Cattle and the Deep Blue Sea: The Janus face of the ecotourism-extraction nexus in Costa Rica Robert Fletcher 6. Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret? Exploring the discursive terrain and lived experience of the ecotourism/extraction nexus in southern Belize James Stinson 7. Mining the Forest: Epical and novelesque boundaries along the Upper Bulolo River, Papua New Guinea Jamon Alex Halvaksz, II 8. Ecological Tourism and Elite Minerals in Karelia: The Veps' experience with extraction, commodification and circulation of natural resources Veronica Davidov 9. Crude Desires and ‘Green’ Initiatives: Indigenous development and oil extraction in Amazonian Ecuador Timothy J. Smith 10. 'Greening' Dispossession: Mining nature through ecotourism in the Dominican Southwest Luisa Rollins 11. Ecotourism and Extraction in Saami Lands: Contradictions and continuities Florence Revelin 12. Questions About Local Sovereignty in the Context of the Ecotourism-Extraction Nexus in Northwest Ecuador: Post-neoliberal vignettes from Intag-Manduriaco's cloud forests Linda D’Amico 13. ‘Ecotourism, not mining, in Palawan!’: Territorial narratives on the last frontier (Palawan, the Philippines) Elisabet Rasch 14. Conclusion Wolfram Dressler

About the Author :
Bram Büscher is Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainable Development at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He is also Visiting Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Energy Studies at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Veronica Davidov is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Leiden University College, the Netherlands.

Review :
'Ellina's book is worthwhile and enjoyable reading for a vast audience, both professional and lay, interested in the politics of gender equality in the EU while it is also a valueable contribution to the expanding academic literature on the subject.' - JIRD, Volume 9, Issue 2, 2006 'Promoting Women's Rights, The Politics of Gender in the European Union is easy and comprehensive reading. The book is clearly written, presents the arguements in a well structured way and gradually builds up the evidence that enables the author at the end to confirm the propostions presented at the beginning.' - Ilina Hristova, Interdisciplinary Master in East European Studies, University of Bologna