Exchange to Change June 2018 E2C-may18-web | Page 6

6 INTERVIEW

Meeting the needs of all within the means of the planet : mission impossible ?

The feasibility of living within the environmental limits is a hotter topic than ever nowadays . For some time now , policy-makers and academics have indicated that infinite economic and demographic growth might not be achievable nor desirable given the limitations of the planet ( see for instance ‘ Limits to Growth ’ published in 1972 ). However , it is only rather recently that renowned ( economic ) theories and models have been so widely criticized because of their ignorance of the role of natural resources and the myth of infinite economic growth and that alternative models to development have gained attention ( see e . g . Kate Raworth 2017 ). Hans Bruyninckx ( Executive Director of the European Environment Agency ) and Jeffrey Sachs have both emphasized during their masterclass on sustainable development that achieving a world in which people and planet thrive in harmony requires political commitment to a scientifically informed paradigm shift . Admittedly , there are promising global commitments to sustainable management of the resources of our global system , particularly the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement . While people such as Jeffrey Sachs are positive regarding the feasibility of achieving these goals , news reports of the adverse effects of global , national and local pressures on scarce resources might make others cynical about such political commitments .
Yet , both optimistic and more cynical policy-makers have emphasized the importance of guidance by professionals and academics in the implementation of technical and political solutions for a more sustainable world . Therefore , the Exchange to Change team has invited Francis Mbunya Nkemnyi ( IOB PhD candidate , 2014-2018 ) and Susan Sekirime ( DEM alumna , 2011-2012 ) to shed their light on the various local and global economic pressures , the strategies to combine economic aspirations and environmental conservation , and the challenges encountered when implementing these strategies .
E2C : Francis , could you shortly summarize your PhD project ?
FM : My doctoral study explored the linkages that existed between wildlife conservation and livelihood and how they could promote sustainable forest management in Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary , Cameroon . I applied a number of theoretical and conceptual frameworks in exploring the environment-development linkages , but the main theoretical concept for the study was the concept of communitybased natural resource management .
The study revealed that participatory management as an incentive to sustainable forest management requires equity in power-relations amongst the actors . Actors are the mediators in institutions and policy . Thus , if actors prioritise social justice in the negotiation of access to forest resources / land use , conservation and livelihoods attention could be weighted equally in decision making . Sustainable forest management could be achievable if institutions and policies cooperate to ensure that rules , behaviour , actors , strategies , plans , programmes and the system of administration uphold social justice in all processes .
E2C : Do you think local and global economic pressures are compatible with environmental protection ? Why ( not )?
FM : Local pressures on the environment are most often linked to the direct depletion of natural resources through livelihood activities while national / global pressures are mostly linked to industrial pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases . However , although
Exchange to change June 2018