Interview with Scientific Program chair: Peter van Bodegom
June 22, 2026
Marja Spierenburg is Professor in the Anthropology of Sustainable Development and Livelihoods at Leiden University (the Netherlands), and Research Fellow at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She will bring valuable insights on how private sector initiatives intersect with land rights and the value of indigenous knowledge.
“In the past, nature conservation was often shaped by a dualistic idea that separated nature from people. We need to move towards reciprocal relationships and start by questioning an economic system built on nature as a resource, and on continuous growth, especially when that growth is so unevenly distributed. As anthropologists, we have to confront the history of colonialism and its influence on present-day society. Removing local communities in the name of biodiversity conservation is neither sustainable nor just. They were, and often are not, the main threat; the problem is the dualistic thinking behind conservation itself. Conservation science has to reflect on that too.”
“Conservation scientists need to push against structural barriers, but we should also support and work with bottom-up initiatives, and overcome the barriers between natural and social sciences. Public distrust in both politics and science has grown, and this affects areas such as climate change and biodiversity conservation. Social scientists are essential to understanding these broader trends and how people’s behaviour is shaped by systems that do not support sustainable behaviour. Through research and close interactions with various stakeholders, social science helps reveal what is actually driving these outcomes.”
“As both the IPBES reports on Transformative Change and the Nexus Assessment have shown, subsidies for unsustainable practices are much larger than the financial support for just and sustainable change. The private sector is not homogeneous, and some companies do make genuine efforts to become more sustainable, but when companies are allowed to shift costs towards the public, while privatising profits, injustices and environmentally damaging practices continue. As scientists, we need to point this out and question strategies that shift responsibilities for change solely to the individual.”
“Multi-stakeholder dialogues and co-creation of knowledge are crucial to address sustainability issues.“Yet, there is often a naive assumption that consensus is the ultimate goal of these dialogues, and that consensus will increase support for and efficacy of conservation. However, friction and disagreements provide us with information about the different interests of all the different stakeholders, as well as power relations influencing whose knowledge and voice counts. Too often, actions are rushed and imposed on the public and private sectors without listening carefully enough. Time is not the enemy. We may need longer negotiation processes to identify the most affected stakeholders and make sure their voices are heard. We have to make democratic choices and have to weigh impacts and efforts fairly. Inclusive policies are what help to connect people, and connect people with/in nature.”
“To all the young scientists attending ECCB ‘26: follow your heart and remain curious!”
