'Green' economies have a dark side

"Green grabbing," the appropriation of land for biofuels, carbon-offsetting schemes and conservation, is forcing people from their homelands, a report says. Research studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America published in the Journal of Peasant Studies show ecosystems being "asset-stripped" for profit is likely to cause dispossession and further poverty among already-poor land and resource users, the British-based Institute of Development Studies reported Thursday. "Green grabs are the dark side of the green economy," Melissa Leach of the Economic and Social Research Council said. As an example of "green grabs," researchers point to Guatemala, where conservation agencies, ecotourism companies and the military are "protecting" the Guatemalan Maya Biosphere Reserve as a "Maya-themed vacationland," allegedly violently excluding local people. "If market-based mechanisms are to contribute to sustainable development and the building of economies that are not only green but also fair, then fostering an agenda focused on distribution, equity and justice in green market arrangements is vital," Leach said. That must included meaningful local engagement and consultation based on transparency, accountability and free, prior informed consent, the researchers said.