Entanglements in multispecies voluntourism: conservation and Utila's affect economy

Abstract

Through a case study of conservation voluntourism this article brings together critical political ecology, multispecies ethnography, and studies of humanitarian tourism to advance a political ecology of multispecies conservation voluntourism. The article presents multispecies conservation voluntourism as a field that produces and is produced by an “affect economy”, or an economy based on the exchange or trade in the relational. Since the mid-1990s, life on Utila, Honduras, a popular discount backpacker scuba destination located along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, has been deeply transformed by the growth of dive tourism, the ecological destruction it has produced, and now the conservation voluntourism industry emerging in its wake. Seventy percent of Utila is comprised of mangroves and associated wetlands, home to several endangered and endemic species. Using examples of whale shark tourism, lionfish hunts, and iguana tracking, this article shows how conservation organizations operate as affect generators, enabling the privilege of engaging in multispecies encounters. Engaging in multispecies conservation voluntourism produces value in the form of cultural capital which is then exchanged for material outcomes by volunteers in the global economy; at the same time, this form of voluntourism obscures local relationships to nature and alters multispecies assemblages from past configurations.     

Uncertainty,story-telling and transformative learning: An instructor’s experience of TEFI’s Walking Workshop in Nepal

ABSTRACT

This article recounts three stories from TEFI’s walking workshop in Nepal: the construction of a road through what was once a trekking path; a dance-floor encounter at a Himalayan party; and the arrival of one participant, fatigued by jet lag and disoriented by the new surroundings. These stories of confusion, discomfort and fear are linked by one common theme: the potential of uncertainty to foster deep reflection and nuanced conclusions. The premise that uncertainty is to be valued and even cultivated has been explored in educational theory, spiritual traditions, and research on transformative learning. These sources affirm the role of uncertainty in the process of knowledge creation. However, accepting this role can be challenging for educators because it requires they assume a new identity, one which they may perceive as being at odds with their status as “teacher” the identity of learner. One way for the educator to address this challenge may be through recounting their own stories of uncertainty. Stories of being immersed in unfamiliar situations that challenge, confuse and even frighten – stories, in other words of being a tourist – can foster reflection on an intellectual, emotional and spiritual level, engaging the “whole” person, and thus initiating the educator/learner’s transformative journey.     

The curse of natural resources in the transition economies*

The curse of natural resources is a well‐documented phenomenon for developing countries. Economies that are richly endowed with natural resources tend to grow slowly. Among the transition economies of the former ‘Eastern Bloc’, a similar pattern can be observed. This paper shows that a large part of the variation in growth rates among the transition economies can be attributed to the curse of natural resources. After controlling for numerous other factors, there is still a strong negative correlation between natural resource abundance and economic growth. Among the transition economies the prime reasons for the curse of natural resources were corruption and a neglect of basic education. In order to overcome the curse of natural resources and move to a sustainable path of development, the resource abundant transition countries should fight corruption and ensure that their resource revenues are invested in human capital or the preservation of natural capital.     

Demographic and Economic Pressure on Emigration out of Africa*

Two of the main forces driving European emigration in the late nineteenth century were real wage gaps between sending and receiving regions and demographic booms in the low‐wage sending regions. Our new estimates of net migration for the countries of sub‐Saharan Africa show that exactly the same forces driving African across‐border migration are at work today. The results suggest that rapid growth in the cohort of potential young emigrants, population pressure on the resource base, and slow economic growth are likely to intensify the pressure for migration out of Africa and into high‐wage OECD countries over the next two decades.     

发展旅游业--新疆社会经济发展的必然选择

旅游是一种具有重大经济与文化意义的活动,它的产生和发展紧随社会前进的步伐。近年来,随着人们收入的增长和消费水平的提高,节假日外出旅游成为时尚。目前,旅游业是我国的重要产业。在我国的很多地区,旅游业已成为增加经济收入、改善产业结构、提高人们的现代意识、推动区域经济和社会进步的重要产业。新疆地区少数民族众多、地域辽阔,加上历史文化悠久,孕育了丰富的自然旅游资源及人文旅游资源,在全国具有旅游资源的比较优势,因此发展旅游业必将带动新疆地区社会经济的全面发展。     

外国对中国反倾销的措施及我国的应对策略

反倾销问题是近年来我国对外贸易中的热门话题，该项贸易保护措施对我国企业的频繁使用使我国企业蒙受巨大损失，也成为我国国际贸易发展的重大障碍。面对这种局面，我国政府和企业应加强协调配合，同时各司其职、各负其责，政府应加强宏观调控，同时完善反倾销应诉机制，促进和国外的交流与合作；企业应规范内部管理，优化出口结构，建立灵活的经营策略，只有这样才能最大限度地维护我国企业的利益     

优化我国产融生态链的若干思考

现代经济已日趋复杂，经济风险也日益增大。寻找产融生态链新形式的必要性已经 不仅仅是为了筹集资金，更增加了一层防范风险的需要。为此，政府必须努力改善产融生态链，重塑金融机构和企业的关系。在借鉴发达国家产融生态链的经验基础上，提出了优化我国产融生态链几点建议。     

论普通商事仲裁管辖对法院管辖的排除

有效的仲裁协议是仲裁机构受理商事纠纷的前提，也是排除法院管辖权的依据。当事人有关仲裁协议有效性的争议将会动摇仲裁管辖的基础。本文从分析仲裁管辖的依据入手，探讨了仲裁管辖与法院管辖之间的界限，结合国际上仲裁管辖制度的最新发展，提出我国应进一步放宽对仲裁管辖权的限制，以促进仲裁事业的发展。     

亚洲金融危机之后的深层思考

进入20世纪90年代以来,全球各类金融危机频频发生。影响国际经济金融秩序的因素发生了新变化,目前的国际金融秩序已经不能适应国际政治格局和经济、技术发展趋势,不能适应调整当前国际金融关系的需要,必须进行变革,并建立公正、合理的国际金融新秩序。