Settler Ecologies And The Future Of Biodiversity: Insights From Laikipia, Kenya
Download
Abstract: This peer-reviewed article interrogates how settler colonial histories and contemporary conservation practices in Laikipia, Kenya have shaped biodiversity landscapes and power relations. The authors introduce the concept of "settler ecologies" to describe how past and ongoing transformations?including the elimination of unwanted species, rewilding with favored fauna, selective inclusion of local communities, species rescue, and landscape scaling?extend settler colonial legacies through ecological means. Using Laikipia as a case study, the article presents a nuanced critique of the moral and political economies of biodiversity conservation, highlighting how charismatic megafauna and conservation frameworks often marginalize indigenous ecological knowledge and land-use practices. The authors argue that global biodiversity efforts, especially under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), risk reproducing settler ecological orders unless they integrate multispecies justice, historical accountability, and inclusive governance.