Proud of our latest publication, with Bram Büscher and Lerato Thakholi, based on our most recent work in South Africa over the last few years. A great collaborative effort. I remember the first draft was written when driving in the car! the link to the paper is available on this website, as usual, under 'publications'.…Read more New paper: Fossilized conservation, or the unsustainability of saving nature in South Africa
Privatisation and commodification: Ecotourism as capitalist expansion in Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: Stasja Koot, Lubabun Ni’am, Chantal Wieckardt, Roderick Buiskool, Nadya Karimasari, Joost Jongerden Introduction In this blog post, we explore recent ecotourism developments as capitalist expansion in the buffer zone to the east of the Mount Leuser National Park (MLNP), Sumatra, Indonesia. The close interaction with nature, and some specific charismatic animals, provide for spreading…Read more Privatisation and commodification: Ecotourism as capitalist expansion in Sumatra, Indonesia
‘Ethical donor tourism’ in Africa
Stasja Koot and Robert Fletcher Introduction In this blog post we explore two novel types of ‘ethical donor tourism’: philanthrotourism and environmentourism. Both are often presented as supporting social and environmental causes, but this positive self-presentation may obscure how they actually benefit from and reinforce inequalities and environmental degradation. After introducing them, we provide a…Read more ‘Ethical donor tourism’ in Africa
Newspaper article in The Maverick
Recently a newspaper article appeared in The Maverick about one of my papers with Sian Sullivan and Paul Hebinck. It's called A question of bias: Trophy hunting is a contentious industry and shaping research to get a desired outcome doesn't help. The author is Don Pinnock and the full article can be found here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-10-18-a-question-of-bias-trophy-hunting-is-a-contentious-industry-and-shaping-research-to-get-a-desired-outcome-doesnt-help/.
New paper. Selling captive nature: Lively commodification, elephant encounters, and the production of value in Sumatran ecotourism, Indonesia
This new paper in Geoforum concerns elephant-based ecotourism in Tangkahan, Sumatra. It analyses how value is created through encounters between mahouts (elephant handlers) and elephants, and subsequently through the encounters between tourists and elephants. It is open access. Many thanks to Ni’am Lubabun and Joost Jongerden for working together on this! It was a great…Read more New paper. Selling captive nature: Lively commodification, elephant encounters, and the production of value in Sumatran ecotourism, Indonesia
Stasja Koot 