Chapter 06 · Governance & regulationGovernance, Ethics & Risk
Decolonization (sustainability and conservation context)
Definition
In sustainability discourse, decolonization refers to identifying and dismantling the colonial legacies embedded in conservation and development practice. In conservation it centres on the history of "fortress conservation" — protected areas created through the displacement of Indigenous peoples — and calls for Indigenous-led governance, land-rights restitution and recognition of Indigenous peoples as rights-holders rather than stakeholders. The concept also extends to decolonising knowledge, funding flows and institutional power.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
Not a metaphor: in its strict use it means structural change in who owns, governs and defines conservation and development.
How it is used
The debate shapes critiques of 30x30 targets, Indigenous-led conservation models, and reforms in NGOs, research institutions and funders. **Note:** The term is contested. Some scholars caution against diluting decolonization into a general metaphor for reform; others apply it broadly to knowledge and institutional critique.
Usage should respect Indigenous-led framings and distinguish land restitution from rhetorical adoption.
Why it matters
Decolonization reframes some of sustainability's oldest tools — protected areas, research, aid — as sites of historical injustice whose reform is now central to credible biodiversity and climate policy.