U.S (NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM) : THIS WEEK, #DecolonizingConservation : talks, poetry, films, and action.

 

 

 

		Dear friend,    This week, we’re teaming up with Survival International and The Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center to bring you four days of events dedicated to decolonizing conservation, here at home and on the global scale. Featuring discussions, poetry, short films, and calls to action, this event series brings together community leaders, conservationists, scholar-activists, legal and policy experts, and Indigenous organizers from Kenya and Tanzania, to Standing Rock and the Navajo Nation.   Get involved : read more below, RSVP, and donate to support this work. For the Future, The Natural History Museum
		#DecolonizingConservation : April 12-15, 2023 In the name of conservation, natural landscapes the world over have been divided up, fenced off, and barricaded against the people and animals that call them home, fragmenting habitats and devastating lifeworlds. Join us for 4 days of online and in-person events that expose this crisis of colonial conservation, and advance a more just conservation for our world in crisis. A joint project of The Natural History Museum and Survival International, co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate School. APRIL 12 & 13: Unfence the Future : Taking Down Fortress Conservation and its Enduring Legacy* @Zoom, virtual symposium RSVP : bit.ly/UnfenceTheFuture In the history of conservation, the logic of fencing was institutionalized in what critics call “fortress conservation,” a project of drawing boundaries between designated wilderness areas and their outsides, expelling perceived threats to ecological balance—from Indigenous Peoples, to predator species. In the process, habitats have been fragmented, and lifeworlds devastated. This virtual conference brings together community leaders, activists, scientists, and scholars who are working to dismantle the enduring legacies of fortress conservation in institutions of U.S. law, historic preservation, and conservation. Made possible with support from The Henry Luce Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation. *The title of this symposium is inspired by “Unfencing the Future: Voices On How Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People and Organizations Can Work Together Toward Environmental and Conservation Goals”, by Hester Dillon (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) APRIL 14 : Our Land, Our Nature : A Conference on Decolonizing Conservation @ Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate Center and live-streamed RSVP : ourlandournature.org The mainstream approach to biodiversity conservation has had a devastating impact on Indigenous and other local people’s lands, livelihoods, and rights. Flawed thinking that sees human presence as a threat to ‘nature’ has led to a model of conservation that is often violent, colonialist, and racist. This conference seeks to change the mainstream conversation around conservation by bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists and human rights experts from around the globe to elevate the voices of those who have seen their lands stolen and their livelihoods devastated by militarized conservation. APRIL 15 : Public demonstration at the Wildlife Conservation Society   @ New York City Bronx Zoo, front entrance Join Survival International for a protest outside the Bronx Zoo, which is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of the world’s oldest conservation organizations, with a long history of complicity in human rights abuses in the name of conservation.
		Thank you ! The Natural History Museum leverages the power of history, museums, monuments, and movements to change narratives, build alliances, educate the public and drive civic engagement in support of community-led movements for climate and environmental justice. Our programs are made possible thanks to support from 4Culture, ATALM, Chorus Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Invoking the Pause, Luce Foundation, NEH, Park Foundation, and countless individuals. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution today! Your support goes a long way.