34. Settling Nature: The Conservation Regime in Palestine/Israel: Prof. Irus Braverman

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In this episode, Ewa Gorska sits down with Professor Irus Braverman from the University at Buffalo (USA), to delve into her latest book, "Settling Nature: The Conservation Regime in Palestine/Israel”.

• While settler colonialism is often examined through a political and social lens, Professor Braverman sheds light on the role of nature and other-than-human natures within this framework.

• One of the key aspects explored is land dispossession in the name of protection. In Israel nearly 25 percent of the country's total land mass has already been designated as a nature reserve or a national park. However, the creation of national reserves and parks in Israel and the occupied West Bank have resulted in the removal of human populations.

• Another important element of the process of managing nature is judaization and the symbolical reintroduction and protection of the biblical landscape.

• The episode also takes a turn towards the management and tensions surrounding animals in this settler colonial context. The dichotomies between domestication and wilderness, desired and undesired, “legal” and “Illegal” animals are explored.

• The conversation also touches upon the complex relationship between militarization and nature in Israel. The example of the griffon vulture serves as a point of discussion, showcasing the entanglement of nature and technology.

• The episode concludes with a broader examination of conservationism and its entanglements with politics. While nature protection is generally regarded as important, we raise the question of whether conservationism in Palestine-Israel can be neutral or positive. .