Paper short abstract:

This paper examines Indigenous conservation politics on the border between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). Engaging Indigenous scholarship on politics of recognition, resurgence, and refusal, we highlight the potential for Indigenous-declared protected areas to advance self-determination.

Paper long abstract:

States have long used protected areas to consolidate control over Indigenous Peoples' territories, undermining community-based governance and access to resources. Despite this history, Indigenous Peoples around the world are increasingly designating their own protected areas to defend ancestral territories and assert self-determination. This paper examines Indigenous conservation politics in the Salween Peace Park in the autonomous Karen territory of Kawthoolei on the border between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). Local villagers and the Karen National Union envision the park as a grassroots initiative to build peace in an area that has suffered decades of armed conflict between the Burmese military and the Karen movement for self-determination. Using the Salween Peace Park as a case study, we engage Indigenous scholarship on the politics of recognition, resurgence, and refusal. We explore intersections and tensions between these three political strategies, highlighting ways that Indigenous-declared protected areas mobilize different forms of power to advance self-determination.