Amelia Arreguín Prado provides a critical analysis of biodiversity finance from an ecofeminist perspective, spotlighting the inadequacies of current market-based conservation strategies.
Arreguín highlights how mechanisms such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), biodiversity offsets, and green bonds commodify nature, transforming ecosystems into tradable assets within global financial markets. This commodification, she argues, perpetuates exploitative capitalist dynamics that have historically driven ecological degradation and exacerbated gender and social inequalities. Arreguín critiques these models for their tendency to overlook socio-political contexts, often marginalizing Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and particularly women, who traditionally engage deeply with ecological stewardship yet remain excluded from decision-making and benefits.
Drawing from feminist ecological economics, Arreguín advocates for a reframing of biodiversity finance that prioritizes relational and intrinsic ecological values over purely economic metrics. She emphasizes the critical importance of care economies, commons-based governance, and direct funding mechanisms that support local and indigenous communities, especially women, as pivotal stewards of biodiversity. Arreguín asserts that genuine conservation financing must acknowledge and rectify systemic inequities embedded in current financial models, promoting instead a solidarity-based approach that foregrounds community-led initiatives.
By integrating feminist ecological insights, Arreguín underscores the necessity of redefining financial strategies to dismantle patriarchal and capitalist frameworks that treat nature as an external commodity. She further articulates that effective biodiversity finance must include a robust analysis of intersecting inequalities and structural drivers of biodiversity loss, proposing instead a holistic approach that simultaneously addresses environmental, social, and economic injustices.
Arreguín’s critique and proposals highlight pathways for reshaping biodiversity finance towards equity, justice, and sustainability, advocating for investment strategies rooted in the well-being of both ecosystems and human communities.
Interested in the full article? Check out the next issue of Policy Matters.
发表回复