Presentation short abstract

Through a comparative case study in Zambia, I question whether there is greater evidence of ecological justice in the donor-dependent North Luangwa landscape than in South Luangwa, where nature has been commodified for profit. My research reveals a surprise finding—a form of ‘converging divergence’.

Presentation long abstract

While public finance has been the largest source of funds to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and degradation, recent shifts have caused a re-think of this modality. Despite public commitments to triple climate finance by 2035, US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and his closure of USAID undermine the potential to achieve this. Trump’s actions highlight the implications of the worldwide rise in right-wing populist governments. Their focus on the national—at the expense of the global—calls for a fresh look at the potential of the market to contribute to the financing of global public goods. Through a comparative case study in Zambia, I question whether there is greater evidence of financial sustainability or ecological justice in the donor-dependent North Luangwa landscape than in South Luangwa, where nature has been ‘commodified’ for profit (e.g., through park tourism and Africa's largest REDD+ project). My expectation was that the different funding models would provide contrasting results in perceptions of equity and wellbeing amongst local stakeholders. My research revealed a surprise finding—a form of ‘converging divergence’. The greatest divergence between the two landscapes is the psychology of dependency (the ‘economy of expectations’). There is convergence however in two areas—namely the desire to generate sustainable revenue streams and the challenge of good governance (particularly in Zambia’s fragmented policy environment). A tendency towards neo-patrimonialism and elite capture of benefits hampers the ability to finance global public goods equitably and sustainably—whether the source of finance is commercial or aid-based.