Social inequality, urban biodiversity, and decoloniality in ecology and conservation science: five shifts in practice so we can do better

Dr. Madhusudan Katti

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University

Abstract

Science occupies a high pedestal as our primary source of knowledge, despite rising science denialism. Yet Science remains rooted in Western European traditions aligned with a history of colonial appropriation of land and resources, and erasure of indigenous peoples and knowledge systems. By acknowledging this history and working to undo the ways of thinking that have led to such harm, we have the opportunity to create a more ethical approach to science that recognizes diverse peoples and knowledges. In this seminar Dr. Madhusudan Katti, an ecologist, shares some of his research on urban biodiversity while examining the colonial underpinnings of ecology and the consequences of how it is practiced and taught for biodiversity conservation, and for the wellbeing of people struggling under oppressive systems that have shaped our profoundly unjust and unequal world. In their 2021 paper "Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology", Katti and coauthors called for decolonizing ecology through actively undoing systems and ways of thinking to promote more inclusive and ethical approaches, and proposed five shifts to help transform ecological practice: decolonize your mind; know your histories; decolonize access; decolonize expertise; and, practice ethical research in inclusive teams. In this talk, Dr. Katti will illustrate these five shifts with examples from his own and other urban ecology research, in the context of a broader struggle to push science towards decoloniality in practice.