Abstract:
This research uses the case of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in the Garhwal Himalaya, India to examine how environmental policy, articulated by international agencies and translated into action by national governments, is transforming the lives and livelihoods of local communities dependent on the protected resources. Specifically, the research asks: How do the conceptions of nature and conservation held by members of the local community differ from those embedded in the global environmental policies governing Biosphere Reserves? Multiple methods, including in-depth interviews, village surveys and archival analysis, are used to explore the many conceptions of nature at play in the controversy over the biosphere reserve. The research explores differences in how terms like “nature,” “preservation,” and even “development” are being constructed and deployed by the various parties – the United Nations, the Indian government, tourism agencies, and the local Bhotiya villagers. Understanding these multiple meanings and the economic and political structures within which they emerge, can give us crucial insights into the resource struggle underway.
