The End of Consensus? The Impact of Participatory Initiatives on Conceptions of Conservation and the Countryside in the United Kingdom

Abstract

In recent years, local participation has come increasingly to the forefront of the strategies, language, and practices adopted by conservation organisations in the United Kingdom. In this paper I explore what impact the process of participation is having in reshaping conceptions of conservation and the countryside. Based on empirical research in Southeast England, I argue that participation may reveal a new, but contradictory, arena of conservation concern centred on the relevance of place. In laying claim to its own knowledge, language, and values, this concern for place provides a legitimate authority for local people to challenge outside representations of their space. As a result, I suggest that the practice of participation may be bringing about a retreat from the national vision of traditional conservation and a fragmentation of conservation ideas.