Neoliberal Conservation: Another Face of the Green Economy. A Case Study in the Llanganates Sangay Ecological Corridor, Ecuador

Abstract

Based on a case study in the Llanganates Sangay Ecological Corridor, this research analyzes the characteristics of land acquisition for the creation of private protected areas within the framework of the neoliberal conservation and strict conservation model. This study is based on the argument that contrary to its purported win-win approach, neoliberal conservation leads to processes of dispossession, displacement, and exclusion of local populations in the interest of large companies. Dispossession processes do not necessarily happen in traditionally violent ways but through increasingly sophisticated mechanisms, such as land acquisition. In this context, even though neoliberal conservation is presented as a mechanism for solving current environmental issues and achieving sustainable development, it can in fact be used for the expansion of the green economy.