Conflict, Environment and Transition: Colombia, Ecology and Tourism after Demobilisation

Abstract

In 2016, Colombia’s left-wing guerrilla FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo) began demobilisation. While demobilisation and the ensuing peace accords brought renewed hope that the country could imagine different political and social relations—and new ecological and economic conditions—multinational corporations filled the ‘void’ left by FARC-EP forces. Corporate interests in Colombia’s natural resources predated the demobilisation. However, extractive processes were restricted by the dynamics of the armed conflict. In 2016, immediately following the demobilisation, deforestation in Colombia jumped 44 per cent. In the transitional demobilisation period, huge swaths of the country were opened for economic development. Thus, while the environment is often a victim in armed conflict, in Colombia, conflict contributed to the preservation of some areas. Among the forms of development that have emerged in Colombia, ‘ecotourism’ has risen quickly to the fore. While ecotourism may offer some promise, it should be viewed with caution.

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Except where otherwise noted, content in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Published: 2019-08-19
Pages:74 to 88
Section:Articles
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How to Cite
McClanahan, B., Sanchez Parra, T. and Brisman, A. (2019) “Conflict, Environment and Transition: Colombia, Ecology and Tourism after Demobilisation”, International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 8(3), pp. 74-88. doi: 10.5204/ijcjsd.v8i3.1246.

Author Biographies

Eastern Kentucky University
 United States

Bill McClanahan (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, KY, USA).

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
 Colombia

Tatiana Sanchez Parra, Assistant Professor at Javeriana University (Bogota, Colombia), holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom, where she also obtained a Masters in Human Rights.

Eastern Kentucky University, United States, Queensland University of Technology and University of Newcastle, Australia
 United States

Avi Brisman (MFA, JD, PhD) is an Associate Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, KY, USA), an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), and a Conjoint Associate Professor at Newcastle Law School at the University of Newcastle (Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia).  He is also Editor-in-Chief of Critical Criminology: An International Journal