This presentation will address the complexities of the illegal wildlife trade in southern Africa through a political ecology lens, with a focus on the ways in which militarized approaches that continue to be popular with donors marginalize local communities.
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Rachel DeMotts is professor and director of the Environmental Policy and Decision-Making Program at the University of Puget Sound. As a political ecologist conducting community-based research in southern Africa for nearly twenty years, her central interest is in creating space for engaging with the often hidden experiences of local communities living with wildlife, conservation, and tourism. Her work addresses the politics of transboundary conservation, gender, tourism, and human-wildlife conflict, with particular focus on Namibia and Botswana. Central to this work is the question of how, and to what end, rural communities in the region are and are not able to participate in the often externally imposed, mainstream conservation project. She is a frequent collaborator in and contributor to applied development work in the region, in partnership with local NGOs and experts. She holds a BA in Political Science and History from Marquette University and an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.