The doctoral dissertation in the field of Environmental Policy will be examined at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies at Joensuu Campus and online.
M.Sc.Admin. Liisa Varumo examines in her doctoral dissertation the environmental justice of market-based and place-based conservation approaches and how these diverse approaches can contribute to just sustainability transformations in biodiversity conservation.
The range of biodiversity conservation instruments has diversified significantly over recent decades. This development is driven by the need to broaden the funding base and range of actors involved in conservation and ecological restoration in order to halt biodiversity decline. The diversification of actors can be seen as a positive development, as responsibility for conservation is increasingly shared with, for example, those who cause environmental harm or local communities committed to restoration. In addition, conservation efforts are now expected to deliver not only environmental outcomes but also economic and other local benefits.
However, these developments often bring new and complex justice-related challenges that deserve greater attention in both conservation policy and practice. Examining these challenges and exploring possible solutions forms the core of Varumo’s doctoral research.
The dissertation is based on four scientific articles. These publications examine the social acceptance of biodiversity offsets in Finland through interviews, as well as biodiversity offset schemes implemented by international mining companies in Finland and Colombia through case study research. The case studies focus on recognition justice, as in both contexts the offsets affect local and Indigenous communities.
The dissertation also explores two place-based conservation approaches: the co-management of the Näätämö River in Finland and the recognition of the rights of the Ranchería River in Colombia. The fourth article is a comprehensive international literature review on environmental justice in market-based conservation instruments.
Business-as-usual approaches hinder just transformations
The research shows that experiences of injustice among local communities often stem from factors such as limited opportunities to participate, the marginalization of local knowledge and values, and unequal power relations. Many of these issues are rooted in broader societal structures and institutions that, for example, prioritize economic growth, reinforce the dominance of Western science in conservation, and concentrate decision-making authority at higher levels. Although altering such structures is difficult and slow, it is essential for achieving transformative change.
“It is understandable that practitioners, such as companies and municipalities, hope that new conservation instruments can be aligned with existing practices. However, is the transformative potential of such solutions sufficient to halt biodiversity loss in a just manner?” Varumo contemplates.
Local social values should be considered, for example, in biodiversity offset design. These values are often treated as secondary concerns, despite extensive research showing that perceptions of fairness strengthen the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts. This was particularly evident in Varumo’s research of place-based conservation approaches, where the knowledge, needs, and expertise of local and Indigenous peoples formed the basis of conservation.
“My research with local and Indigenous communities illustrated how, at worst, conservation efforts can reproduce colonial structures, and at best, strengthen local agency when decision-making power is genuinely shared. I believe that all conservation instruments have the potential to contribute to a just transformations, provided they are adapted to local values and circumstances. A solution that works well in one place may not be directly transferable to another,” Varumo notes.
Strengthening local agency as a pathway to justice
Although challenging societal structures may seem overwhelming, initiatives aimed at doing so fortunately persist. The recognition of the rights of River Ranchería in Colombian legislation is one example of how relational values and diverse worldviews can be introduced into Western legal institutions.
Market-based conservation instruments can also provide local communities with opportunities to advance their own values and objectives. In Colombia, local people involved in a mining company’s biodiversity offset program emphasized the importance of ecological restoration for intergenerational justice and for revitalizing their culture.
“Participation in, for example, offset schemes should not be interpreted as local people legitimising or accepting environmental harm. Local communities can use such conservation initiatives introduced by companies to pursue their own goals and, in doing so, challenge existing structures from within,” Varumo says.
Based on the findings of the doctoral research, the most promising path toward just transformative biodiversity conservation lies in state-enabled rather than top-down approaches. Such approaches provide local communities with the resources, incentives, and networks needed to implement their own conservation initiatives.
Liisa Varumo works as a researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) in the Societal Change Unit.
The doctoral dissertation of Liisa Varumo, M.Sc.Admin., entitled Towards Just Transformative Conservation. Environmental Justice in Market-Based Instruments and Place-Based Conservation Initiatives will be examined at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. The opponent will be Associate Professor JH (Jelle) Behagel, University & Research Wageningen, and the custos will be Professor Irmeli Mustalahti, University of Eastern Finland. The language of the public defence is English.
For further information, please contact:
Liisa Varumo, +358 29 525 1132, firstname.lastname(at)syke.fi, https://www.syke.fi/en/experts/liisa-varumo
