Paper short abstract:

The protection of "natural areas" is today an important factor of people displacement on behalf of "development'". The case of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, illustrates how too binary models such as nature vs. city, or bourgeois environmentalism vs. needs of the poor, must be qualified

Paper long abstract:

The displacement of people due to "development" is far from being only a matter of mines, dams and the like, taking place in far-off rural or forested areas; it also happens in cities. Displacements resulting from urban transportation infrastructure projects as well as "mega-events" are well known. Many displacements also occur on behalf of the environment, notably for protecting natural areas from so-called "urban sprawl".

At first glance, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, located within the 20 million inhabitant megalopolis of Mumbai, would appear to support the view that nature may be the victim of uncontrolled urban growth, in particular of slums that have invaded the park. There, middle- and upper-class environmental activists fight for the total removal of the slums. This can be described as a classic case of the "bourgeois environmentalism" (Baviskar 2002; Véron 2006) that is growing in emerging countries where an expanding elite is demanding green areas and living standards similar to those of developed countries.

At second glance, however, the situation is shown to be more complex. For instance, certain "environmentalists" clandestinely work for another "development", real estate based. The slum dwellers' advocates are often products of the same social background as their enemies. And "conservation sprawl" should be added to "urban sprawl", since the expansion of protected areas creates socio-spatial conflicts that are multiplied by an urban "branding" effort to create an iconic park, emblematic of Mumbai's new rank in the race to become a "global city".