ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES

The document examines the relationship between environmental justice and the success of conservation strategies, specifically Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES). It argues that ignoring social dimensions—such as distributive equity, recognition of rights, and inclusive decision-making—increases the risk of project failure through social conflict and sabotage, whereas integrating these criteria improves ecological outcomes and long-term efficiency.

• Environmental justice is a multidimensional concept comprising distributive dimensions (allocation of benefits and burdens), recognition of rights and cultural identities, and procedural aspects related to decision-making.
• A reductionist approach to conservation that prioritizes purely economic efficiency often favors large landowners over small ones and prioritizes 'bankable' ecosystem services like water or coal over cultural or religious values.
• Conservation initiatives that neglect environmental justice face higher risks of failure, including reduced legitimacy, protests, sabotage, and contract cancellations, which ultimately lead to lower economic efficiency due to additional costs.
• Conversely, projects that ensure equitable benefit distribution, inclusive decision-making, and local autonomy tend to achieve greater legitimacy and better ecological results, sometimes regardless of the payment amount.
• Several international programs have had to integrate social criteria to address injustices: REDD+ incorporated social criteria following indigenous protests, Costa Rica's PES program added equity criteria to correct inequalities, and Ecuador's SocioPáramo program uses rural poverty indexes to prioritize conservation areas.

APA

Garmendia, E., Pascual, U., & Phelps, J. (2015). ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201507240319151408015425.pdf

Chicago

Garmendia, Eneko, Unai Pascual, and Jacob Phelps. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2015. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201507240319151408015425.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Garmendia |first1=Eneko |last2=Pascual |first2=Unai |last3=Phelps |first3=Jacob |title=ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=2015 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201507240319151408015425.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{garmendia2015environmental, author = {Garmendia, Eneko and Pascual, Unai and Phelps, Jacob}, title = {{ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201507240319151408015425.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }