REDD+ Unravelled: A discursive analysis of neoliberal forest conservation efforts in Guyana and Suriname By Yolanda Ariadne Collins Submitted to Central European University The Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy “In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy” Supervisor: Dr. Guntra Aistara, Central European University Place of submission: Budapest, Hungary Year of submission: 2017 CEU eTD Collection Copyright notice Copyright in text of this thesis rests with the Author. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the Author and lodged in the Central European University Library. Details may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the Author. The ownership of any intellectual property rights which may be described in this thesis is vested in the Central European University, subject to any prior agreement to the contrary, and may not be made available for use by third parties without the written permission of the University, which will prescribe the terms and conditions of any such agreement. For bibliographic and reference purposes this thesis should be referred to as: Collins, Y.A. 2017. REDD+ Unravelled: A discursive analysis of neoliberal forest conservation efforts in Guyana and Suriname. Doctoral thesis, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Budapest. Further information on the conditions under which disclosures and exploitation may take place is available from the Head of Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy. Declaration: No portion of the work referred to in the thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning; The thesis contains no materials previously written and/or published by another person, except where appropriate acknowledgment is made in the form of bibliographical reference, etc. CEU eTD Collection - ii - Abstract Recently, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative has been stalling in its progress. Touted as key to halting one-fifth of the world’s carbon emissions, REDD+ quickly rose to become the most accepted effort to integrate the carbon sequestration potential of tropical forests in the developing world into the global effort to govern climatic change. The mechanism seeks to incentivize conservation of tropical forests by providing payments for their conservation and sustainable use. In this dissertation, I put forward reasons for this recent slowdown, asserting that as the policy engages with the social use of the forests, it encounters a politics of intractability not evident in its mostly technical conception. Commencing with a post-structural genealogy of extractivist ethic in the postcolonial states of Guyana and Suriname, I outline the social context of natural resource use with which REDD+ engages. Given the peculiar circumstances of these two countries including densely populated coasts and sparsely populated, extensive forest areas, REDD+ would be expected to encounter a relatively unhindered path. However, its preparation and implementation has been fraught with challenges. Reflecting on the global development narrative, the dominant neoliberal frame and the effort to govern climate change, I question the ability of REDD+ to meet its stated aims, while bringing into focus its associated instrument effects, that which it also does but does not explicitly claim. Drawing on the theoretical framework of political ecology, a discursive analytical approach, and a multi-sited ethnography of REDD+ implementation, I show how this intervention represents different technologies of government that contribute to CEU eTD Collection shaping societies, especially forest dependent groups, into actors amenable to neoliberal governance. Further, the lens of governmentality and a focus on the subject being governed, allows us to move past understanding REDD+ as just an expression of neoliberal governmentality, but as supported by various governmentalities in implementation. - iii - In Guyana, REDD+ provides an economic incentive for forest conservation but has failed to challenge the dominance of resource extractive industries. However, it has succeeded at making activities taking place in the forests more legible to governments and other actors geographically situated outside of the forests. Within Suriname, REDD+ is seen by policy makers as an avenue through which age old land rights issues could be pacified, while forested communities demand their explicit remedy and improved development outcomes. In both countries, REDD+ continues in the tradition of extracting actual or ‘fictitious’ value from the forests to support ever elusive development objectives while reigniting historical conflicts on land use. REDD+ contributes to this neoliberalization of development interventions and shifts in human interactions with nature in these localities, even in the communities of those groups frequently lauded as protectors of or dependent on the natural environment. Through technological reliance, REDD+ has facilitated increasing legibility of the forests while crowding out opportunities for meaningful change in addressing the drivers of deforestation and the concomitant reduction in the forests’ capacity for carbon sequestration. CEU eTD Collection - iv - Acknowledgments I extend profound thanks to all those persons who supported me throughout the duration of this research endeavour, most notably, my supervisor, Dr. Guntra Aistara, and the other members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Prem Kumar Rajaram and Dr. Robert Fletcher, who have all been candid and supportive throughout this process. I extend thanks also to Dr. Bram Buscher who supported my work through a semester abroad at Wageningen University. Gratitude is also extended to staff and management of the United Nations Development Programme offices in Guyana and Suriname, their project partners and the heads of projects who hosted me and provided me with office space during my field work while being open conversationalists and reflective interviewees. I especially recognise the contribution of the people in Guyana and Suriname across different spheres including the representatives and staff of non-governmental organisations who shared their office space and thoughts with me; of civil society organisations and of government offices. Many thanks to the academics, indigenous and maroon community members, gold miners, wood workers, foresters, and government officials, especially to representatives of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission who allowed me access to operations on the ground, and facilitated my movement throughout mining areas. I am thankful also to all my family and friends who have tirelessly contributed to my health and well-being through this, at times, taxing process. Especially, I thank my sister, Juanita, for CEU eTD Collection encouraging me to embark upon this process; my team member and partner, Gábor for his quiet support and encouragement; my colleagues at CEU for motivating me and keeping me focused, and finally, to Romana James of Apoera, Suriname, who recognised my needs for support during my field work there and met them without my asking. I will be eternally grateful. - v - Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ...........................................................................................................IX LIST OF ACRONYMS ...........................................................................................................................XI INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 THE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE PARADOX ..................................................................... 1 Seeing the forests for the coast ....................................................................................................... 3 The win-win logic of market fixes ................................................................................................... 4 THE POLITICS OF INTRACTABILITY ..................................................................................................... 6 Ecosystem vulnerabilities in neighbouring Suriname ..................................................................... 8 RESEARCH AIMS AND QUESTIONS ...................................................................................................... 9 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE CARIBBEAN .......................................................................................... 10 THE DEFORESTATION PROBLEM ....................................................................................................... 13 Unsustainable Forestry Practices and Foreign Investment .......................................................... 13 Infrastructure and Accessibility .................................................................................................... 14 Gold Mining .................................................................................................................................. 14 FINDING A SOLUTION THROUGH REDD+ .........................................................................................