Decolonising the outdoors
Last month at Blue Earth Summit 2023, we had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on Decolonising the Outdoors with leading experts in the outdoor world here in the UK. The session was hosted by Prof Foluke Adebisi with panelists:
Apart from desperately trying not to fangirl too hard on stage, we were in awe of how many people turned up to learn more in the Futures Stage area of the summit. We were pleased to see it packed and the interest for what some might say is a tricky subject. Decolonisation has many different meanings for different people so to begin the session Professor Foluke Adebisi crafted and read out the following statement...
“Decolonisation has meant many things to many people at different times and places. Currently a lot of the discourse around decolonisation in UK HE has involved adding more topics or readings from people from racialised or colonised backgrounds – in other words performative and sometimes harmful moves to diversify. Consequently, many scholars have very strongly suggested that decolonisation invites much more materiality than being a synonym for cosmetic diversity. The colonial project – its inception dated to the 15th century, its trajectory still ongoing around us in extreme inequality, climate emergency and human devastation, has invited decolonisation as a response. This requires a direct and engaged refusal of colonialism’s unequal and destructive ways of living. For example, in my own book Decolonisation and Legal Knowledge, in relation to environmental devastation, I invite an unsettling of the colonial idea of land as only private property and ask for a reinstatement of other meanings of land and nature that turn away from ways of living that continue to produce climate emergency and destruction of the outdoors. Jennifer Rice, Joshua Long and Anthony Levenda in “Against climate apartheid” assert that the reversal of environmental damage requires:
- One, the elimination of colonial and capitalist understandings of private property and land ownership that have been used to justify dispossession and exploitation…
- Secondly, recognition of the rights of climate migrants and climate-displaced peoples to mobility, citizenship, and security....
-Thirdly, a deep commitment to centring marginalized ways of knowing and practices in the efforts to address climate change…
- And finally, reparations in various forms (compensation, repatriation, revival of lost histories) as a movement for climate justice to pay the climate debt owed by imperialist regimes to historically marginalized groups...
Here in the Global North, we often think of the apocalyptic possibilities of climate change as far away and far off potential events, yet for indigenous peoples across space and time, who have experienced the annihilation, dispossession and abandonment that was inaugurated by the colonial enterprise, the end of the world already happened. They are already and always in the waters and fires of difficulty. They are already living in the devastation of time. We owe it to them to turn back those tides, we owe it to ourselves to save from perdition, ourselves, and the earth upon which we currently precariously survive. It is from these premises and with that hope for revival and recovery that we begin our conversation today.”
What does it really mean?
Through a UK-centric lens, for me, decolonising the outdoors really means decolonising everything but with only 45 mins for the panel, we didn’t have time to unpack that. Traditionally, white environmentalism has focused on the preservation and conservation and as a result has historically kept most people away, so that the privileged few can enjoy these spaces unfettered by "undesirables". This is one of the main reasons the National Parks were invented by slave owner and racist, John Muir (founder of the National Parks). He also displaced many indigenous people as part of the process.
Decolonisation of the outdoors can’t be talked about without taking on board the planet and humanity’s dire need for full system change, climate justice, redistribution of power and ending all forms of oppression. We need to move to a new form of economics system that is circular, sustainable and regenerative plus more active democracy such as citizen assemblies so that we can engage people in nature-based solutions and the environment around them.
Whilst decolonising the outdoors is an almost impossible task, we shouldn’t mistake this for the equally important, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) work which is slowly happening across the industry and beyond as a result of 2020’s Black Lives Matter movement after the horrific murder of George Floyd by US Police Officers.
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Tools and mindsets for change
What tools and mindsets do we need to utilise and cultivate in applying the ideas of decolonisation, especially to avoid perfomativity? Here’s my take on it…
Firstly, we need to immediately divest from fossil fuel to help limit the worst effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. Secondly, we need to make access to green space more equitable. Many people who live in cities are deprived of direct access. People from low socio-economic backgrounds, those with health conditions, women, children and people of colour are the least likely to benefit from access to nature.
There's a right to roam over just 8% of England. A recent Ramblers study showed that the whitest parts of England and Wales have 144% more local paths. In 2016 a study showed that three-quarters of UK children spend less time outdoors compared to prison inmates. A recent study by Make Space for Girls (and Young Women) showed that 90% of the park/green space facilities out there are dominated by boys, who also make up 90% of the users.
We need to invest in and create new outdoor spaces in which people are not ‘othered’ but are instead, nourished and valued. We need to ensure these spaces are safe "whatever the weather" especially with the backdrop of climate breakdown. We need to encourage people to spend time in this space with no strings attached. Parks, nature reserves and community gardens need investment, they are the lungs of the city and a vital amenity. Leeds Beckett University and The Wildlife Trust found that for every £1 spent on promoting nature connection activities there was a £6.88 social return.
Imagining a better future
What does the outdoors look like in an ideal decolonised world? For me the absolute no brainer is to… rewild cities! Nature is worth saving and it’s not for the preserve of the middle and upper classes but for everyone, here in the UK and globally. And where do most people live? The cities! By 2050 it’s said that nearly two-thirds of the global population will live in cities.
We are nature too and lack of direct access means less opportunities and options for wider audiences to connect with the natural world. And we know it’s good for you. The science shows the more connected to nature you are, the more likely you are to develop pro-nature conservation behaviours.
Everyday nature is as good for you as "the great outdoors". Nature-based solutions like street trees, mini forests, rainwater gardens can boost biodiversity, protect us from some of the worst effects of the climate crisis such as heat waves and flash floods and help people feel happier and healthier.
These are just some of my ideas, the rest of the panel had so much insight (if only it was recorded). From car-free cities to better representation in the outdoors from the marketing to the C-suites, and reviewing the language around adventure and conquering to reading up and doing the work to learn more about this issue. It really was a session full of knowledge and good vibes.
Finally we must give thanks to my fellow panelists, our host, and to Zoe Palmer and Rosie Riley for curating such an interesting session. Next year, I hope it’s on the main stage.
What ideas do you have to decolonise the outdoors here in the UK and further afield? Let’s share more learnings and insights and keep the conversation going.
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