When "Protecting Nature" Harms Its True Guardians with Anuradha Mittal

Breaking Green

Send us a text

What if conservation efforts meant to protect our planet were actually causing significant harm to the very people who have safeguarded these lands for generations?
On this episode of Breaking Green, we speak with founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, Anuradha Mittal. Anuradha is an internationally renowned expert on issues of human rights, agriculture, development and conservation policies. Under Anuradha’s leadership, the Oakland Institute has unveiled land investment deals in the developing world to expose a disturbing pattern of lack of transparency, fairness and accountability. Anuradha has authored and edited numerous books and reports. Her articles and opinion pieces have been published in widely circulated newspapers and she is frequently interviewed on CNN, BBC World, CBC, ABC, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.

Join us as we discuss the Oakland Institute’s new report, “From Abuse to Power,” which exposes the severe human rights abuses reportedly inflicted upon Indigenous communities by “EcoGuards” — funded by prominent NGOs like the World Wildlife Fund.
We explore the deeply rooted colonial and racist undertones of the conservation industry, particularly in Africa. Discover how powerful international institutions and donor countries perpetuate a model that expels Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands. The conversation contrasts Western views that see humanity as a threat to nature with Indigenous perspectives that emphasize harmony with the environment.

Find Oakland Institute’s report “From Abuse to Power” here.

This podcast is produced by Global Justice Ecology Project.
Breaking Green is made possible by tax deductible donations from people like you. Please help us lift up the voices of those working to protect forests, defend human rights and expose false solutions.
Donate securely online here
Or simply text GIVE to 716-257-4187

Support the show

Chapters

1. Introduction Breaking Green (00:00:00)

2. Oakland Institute (00:01:43)

3. Report "From Abuse to Power" (00:02:24)

4. Are US Agencies Involved? (00:05:12)

5. Motives of the "Conservation Industry" (00:09:30)

6. Myth of "People-less Wilderness" (00:12:21)

7. A Victory in Tanzania (00:18:22)

8. 30 x 30 Proposal (00:25:39)

9. US Fish and Wildlife Service Involved? (00:32:01)

10. Extraction (00:32:59)

11. Tourism (00:35:05)

12. Outro (00:35:55)