Political Ecology: Science, Myth And Power (an Arnold Publication)

Political Ecology This page intentionally left blank Political Ecology Science, Myth and Power Edited by Philip Stott and Sian Sullivan School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London A member of the Hodder Headline Group LONDON Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press Inc., New York First published in Great Britain in 2000 by Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group, 338 Huston Road, London NW1 3BH http://www.arnoldpublishers.com Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press Inc., 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 ©2000 Arnold All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P OLP. The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, but neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 0 340 76165 2 (hb) ISBN 0340 76166 0(pb) 12345678910 Production Editor: James Rabson Production Controller: Iain Mc Williams Cover Design: Terry Griffiths Typeset in 10/12 pt Times by Phoenix Photosetting, Chatham, Kent Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall What do you think about this book? Or any other Arnold title? Please send your comments to [email protected] Contents Notes on contributors Preface List of abbreviations Introduction Philip Stott and Sian Sullivan vii ix xi 1 Part 1 Science and Myth 1 Getting the science right, or introducing science in the first place? Local 'facts', global discourse - 'desertification' in north-west Namibia Sian Sullivan 2 Environmental myths and narratives: case studies from Zimbabwe Deborah Potts 3 Sea-level rise, subsidence and submergence: the political ecology of environmental change in the Bengal delta Robert W. Bradnock and Patricia L. Saunders 4 A political ecology of forest management: gender and silvicultural knowledge in the Jharkhand, India Sarah Jewitt and Sanjay Kumar 15 45 66 91 Part 2 Water and 'Virtual Water' 5 Contending environmental knowledge on water in the Middle East: global, regional and national contexts J. Anthony Allan 6 Precipitation, people, pipelines and power in southern Africa: towards a 'virtual water'-based political ecology discourse A.R. Turton 117 132 Part 3 The Relations of Power, Global to Local 7 Ecological possibilities and political constraints: adjustments of farming to protracted drought by women and men in the Western Division of The Gambia Kathleen Baker 157 vi Contents 8 Rainforest: biodiversity conservation and the political economy of international financial institutions Korinna Horta 9 Contesting the plot: environmental politics and the urban allotment garden in Britain and Japan Richard Wiltshire, David Crouch and Ren Azuma 10 Environmental refugees: the origins of a construct Patricia L. Saunders 11 Global environmental security: an emerging 'concept of control'? Jeroen Warner Index There is a web site for this book at ht