Decolonizing Conservation in Africa & Beyond | Fiore Longo (Survival International)

On this episode, my guest is Fiore Longo, a Research and Advocacy Officer at Survival International, the global movement for tribal peoples. She is the director of Survival International France and Survival International Spain. Fiore coordinates Survival’s conservation campaign, and has visited many communities in Africa and Asia that face human rights abuses in the name of conservation.

Months ago, Survival International reached out to let me know what was happening in Tanzania regarding the brutal and illegal evictions of the Maasai from their territories. Finally, we managed to record what is a deeply nuanced and important conversation regarding those very evictions and their history. We discuss the western imaginary of nature, the enclosure of the commons & the creation of national parks, the second industrial revolution in Africa, the contradictions and criminality of conservation NGOs, how eco-reserves are created to make room for tourism and the costs that come along with it.