In an article on sub-disiplines of the social sciences James Greenberg and Thomas Park describe Political Ecology as “the central questions asked by the social sciences about the relations between human society, viewed in its bio-cultural-political complexity, and a significantly humanized nature.” This is the intersection of political, economic, and social factors as they reach environmental issues. The foundation of Forestry and Forest management.
Video by: The European Network Of Political Ecology
Environment and its decided issues are perceived and managed by these separate political, economic and social organizations on the basis of the perceived value of the materials, whether tangible or not, in discernible ways. This, however, is not always predictable across any one of these organizations as we see in the case of the West and East Penan people found in Endangered Forests, Endangered People and in the support of green movements by German Far-Right Extremists. Through these two cases it is clear that political, economic, and social characteristics may not always offer a design from which we can base forest management practices.
Economic
The economic landscape when referring to the forest landscape has always been directly related. Through out human history the use of resources found in the abundant forest systems of the world have been used to push our developmental growth and move our cultural perceptions away from the environment. The economic influence on our forests can be seen all over the planet as we extract wood for the production of commodities such as fuelwood or lumber for homes or we transform forest areas in to areas used for cultivation and development. The issue is, however, no longer confined to the perimeters of extraction as we operate on a global economy and the market for forest resources grow as seen in Who Is In Charge Of The Worlds Forests?
Social
In Anna Tsing’s article on Friction we see the encounter between differences in culture, economic practices, and ecological value. These differences on a global scale reveal the problem of approaching environmental issues through a utilitarian methodology as perception of others values is not always accurate and the results are not always predictable. It is abundantly clear that we must acknowledge our differences and utilize them to solve environmental issues such as Arturo Escobar describes in Difference and Conflict in the Struggle Over Natural Resources. The management of our forests is not just a matter of those that use them as the condition of these areas directly influences the condition of our planet.
Political
The political influence of how forests are used is within the social and economic factors of political ecology. It is not as much the opinions and perspectives of those that manage the forest that guide its conditions but those that are tasked with managing of all of us that utilize the resources found in the forest. The forest management organizations, the economic influences that guide our consumptive natures, the social characteristics that set our moral economy all must be guided by our political authorities. Such an influence can be found in The Political Ecology Of The Ecosystem Approach describing the give and take from the people and the political that is necessary to reducing deforestation and maintaining a sustainable future.