Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses how conservationists engage with visual representations to produce specific forms of knowledge. I argue that these representations not only produce new meanings of the northeast but are also problematic as an approach to conservation.

Paper long abstract:

Northeast India is increasingly becoming an important area for wildlife conservation. The region was declared a 'Biodiversity Hotspot' in the early 2000s and has gained tremendous international attention. The recent discovery of wildlife species from the region has proved the species richness and need for further ecological exploration. This has brought in multiple stakeholders like NGOS, conservationists, wildlife biologists who are constantly producing knowledge through various representations of the landscape. This paper discusses how conservationists as important stakeholders engage with visual representations to produce specific forms of knowledge (numbers, words, charts, maps, photographs). These new images of rare and elusive species in the remote forests are produced with the increased accessibility to high tech equipments. While the forests and the landscape are shown as a pristine and undisturbed, I argue, the local communities are either made invisible or often shown as factors that deplete the natural resources. Nevertheless, these images of biodiversity rich forests and mountains are also produced as potential sites for ecotourism, largely for elite audiences.

Using content analysis of the websites, reports, photographs and GIS maps of the regions, I argue that such representations not only produce new meanings of the northeast but are also problematic as an approach to conservation.