Rethinking Conservation: Feminist Approaches to Justice, Sustainability, and Marine Resource Management

Name: Rethinking Conservation: Feminist Approaches to Justice, Sustainability, and Marine Resource Management
Start: 2025-04-22T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-22T20:00:00-04:00
Location: Smith Recital Hall

April 22 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Conservation efforts often grapple with deep-seated social and environmental inequities, yet mainstream approaches frequently overlook the intersection of justice and sustainability. Merrill Baker-Médard presents feminist conservation as a framework that actively engages with these structural challenges, rather than bypassing them. Drawing on extensive research in Madagascar’s marine conservation landscape, Baker-Médard explores the concept of commoning—a dynamic, multi-scalar practice of collaboration and resistance that moves beyond traditional notions of the commons. By examining how access to and control over natural resources are negotiated from local fishing communities to global conservation forums, this talk highlights the inextricable link between equity and sustainability. Through an intersectional lens that bridges conservation science, gender studies, and human geography, Baker-Médard challenges prevailing conservation paradigms and proposes a more just, reciprocal, and inclusive approach to protecting our planet’s ecosystems.

Bio:

Merrill Baker-Médard is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and a recent Fulbright Scholar in the African Regional Research Program. With interdisciplinary academic training in the social and natural sciences, Dr. Baker-Médard’s research explores the intersection of biodiversity conservation, resource management, and social justice, drawing from fields such as human geography, conservation biology, and gender studies. Dr. Baker-Médard holds a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley and a BA from Smith College. They have extensive experience collaborating with organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International, and the World Wildlife Fund, working toward balanced conservation and development solutions. Her current research develops a framework to assess feedbacks within reef-based marine socio-ecological systems, examining the links between ecosystem health, fisheries targets, and community engagement in Madagascar.

Free