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Environment and peoples in French Guiana: ambiguities in applying the laws of the French Republic
Author(s) -
Grenand Françoise,
Bahuchet Serge,
Grenand Pierre
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international social science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.237
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1468-2451
pISSN - 0020-8701
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2451.2006.00593.x
Subject(s) - sustainable development , context (archaeology) , legislation , diversity (politics) , the republic , political science , citizenship , sustainable management , state (computer science) , sociology , environmental resource management , geography , politics , law , sustainability , ecology , philosophy , environmental science , theology , archaeology , algorithm , computer science , biology
French Guiana is geographically part of Amazonia. It features a high degree of cultural diversity and it is integrated politically into France and Europe. For this reason it is subject to the same legislation as the rest of the French Republic. Locally, the diversity of the cultures and forms of knowledge results in different perceptions of sustainable management and the conservation of biodiversity. Now these questions are being raised at the worldwide level, they are as much a matter of the collective action of the State as of the individual consciousness of each citizen. In a multi‐ethnic context they must in addition take account of the local communities, both to integrate their diverse experiences and to ensure their well‐being. However, the way in which the rules decided upon in Paris are applied takes scanty account of the specificities of this overseas territory. Through various examples taken from matters concerned with the compulsory attribution of French citizenship and territorial planning, we will address the major environmental issues currently subject to disagreement: the maintenance of the traditional activities of the local forest‐dwelling populations, the development of their knowledge and know‐how, the sustainable development of inland communes, the management of protected areas, and even the project of creating a vast national park. Finally, avenues worth exploring will be proposed as a way to get out of this impasse.