Biodiversity Conservation and Brownfield Sites: a Scalar Political Ecology?
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BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND BROWNFIELD SITES: A SCALAR POLITICAL ECOLOGY? By James Philip Martin Evans A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of Birmingham December 2002 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Biodiversity Conservation and Brownfield Sites: a Scalar Political Ecology? James Evans Abstract This thesis develops a multi-scalar political ecology of biodiversity conservation on brownfield sites in Birmingham, U.K. While urban brownfield biodiversity is increasingly recognised as a valuable resource, political pressure to develop such spaces is also growing. Forty-five interviews were conducted with practitioners and policy makers, supported by genealogical and discursive analyses of a range of texts, to interrogate this tension. Common discourses structuring ecological, conservation and planning activities are traced across national and international levels, to contextualise the formulation and implementation of biodiversity action plans at the local level. Because urban landscapes are characterised by disequilibrium, planning policies and ecological models under-represent the worth of these spaces. The mediation of these discourses through local networks of actors engaged in the biodiversity action plan process is explored socially and geographically. A scalar political ecology of urban planning is developed through the consideration of wildlife corridors, and a case study of a specific brownfield site. The thesis offers an integrative analysis of socio- ecological transformation, and urban ecological governance. It is argued that while the BAP process has the potential to reconfigure urban geographies, it is currently sterile because such forms of sustainable governance contradict the dominant ‘scalar fix’ of capitalism. Acknowledgements Thank you to all the people who gave up their time to talk to me. The enthusiasm and unfaltering generosity with which I have been given knowledge by people from all walks of life has made the past three years a personally enriching experience. The research was made possible by an ESRC and NERC Postgraduate Training Award (R00429934133), and my supervisors, for creating an environment in which it was possible to talk expansively about a diversity of topics, and for offering nuggets of wisdom to keep me on track and regulate occasional excesses. The many friends in the department, who have supplied words of advice, good conversation, inspiration, amusement, sporting camaraderie and the occasional riff, have helped make the research process enjoyable. Thank you to my family and friends for their support and understanding in everything over the last few years, and finally, thank you to my girl, who has been lovely throughout. Abbreviated Contents Chapter 1 Introduction .........................................................1 Chapter 2 Theorising the Environment.............................14 Chapter 3 Method................................................................51 Chapter 4 BioDiversity........................................................78 Chapter 5 Nature and the City .........................................112 Chapter 6 The Local Biodiversity Action Plan Process .147 Chapter 7 New Scales of Conservation............................186 Chapter 8 The Political Ecology of Brownfields.............208 Chapter 9 Conclusions ......................................................259 Appendices..........................................................................272 References...........................................................................304 Contents Figures ..................................................................................................................................i Tables..................................................................................................................................iii Plates...................................................................................................................................iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ..............................................................................................iv Chapter 1 Introduction .........................................................1 1.1 Placing the Study..............................................................................................................1 1.1.1 The Socio-Ecological Agenda and Political Ecology................................................1 1.1.2 Biodiversity and Brownfields....................................................................................4 1.2 Aims and Approach ..........................................................................................................9 1.2.1 From the Global to the Local: Thesis Overview .......................................................9 Chapter 2 Theorising the Environment.............................14 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................14 2.2 Conceptualising Socio-Environmental Phenomena .......................................................16 2.2.1 Beyond Realism.......................................................................................................16 2.2.2 Discourse .................................................................................................................21 2.2.3 Actor Network Theory.............................................................................................26 2.2.4 Reconciliation: Material Discourse .........................................................................29 2.3 Ecological Governance ..................................................................................................34 2.3.1 Science and Policy...................................................................................................34 2.3.2 Locales and Organisations.......................................................................................37 2.4 Urban Political Ecology and Scale ................................................................................41 2.4.1 The Matter of Nature (and the City)........................................................................41 2.4.2 Political Ecology .....................................................................................................43 2.4.3 The Politics of Scale................................................................................................45 2.5 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................50 Chapter 3 Method................................................................51 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................51 3.2 Research Design.............................................................................................................54 3.2.1 Genealogy and Policy..............................................................................................54 3.2.2 Selection of Case Studies ........................................................................................57 3.2.3 Case Study Methodology ........................................................................................63 3.2.4 Practical Reflections................................................................................................67 3.3 Interpretation..................................................................................................................72 3.3.1 Organising Output ...................................................................................................72 3.3.2 Analysis ...................................................................................................................74 3.3.3 Reflexivity ...............................................................................................................75 3.4 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................77 Chapter 4 BioDiversity........................................................78 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................78 4.2 Situating BioDiversity.....................................................................................................80 4.2.1 The Origins of Biodiversity.....................................................................................80 4.2.2 Systems, Mechanism, and the Limits-to-Growth ....................................................83 4.2.3 From Equilibrium to Diversity ................................................................................87 4.2.4 The Convention on BioDiversity.............................................................................92