Conservation, ecological justice and harm to nature - Environmental Harm: An Eco-justice Perspective - page 68

that marks it of from other areas of criminology (such as penology,
street crime, white-collar crime and so on).
Underpinning this and other conventional criminological approaches
to environmental crime is the notion that nature is first and foremost a
resource for human use, and that such use should be rule-guided for the
sake of fairness and sustainability. Hence, illegal trade in timber or fish
is criticised because of the way it distorts efforts to ensure that future
generations have access to trees and aquatic species. The instrumental
use of plants and animals in not in question, it is the patterns of use
that count.
Conservation criminology is thus inherently and unapologetically
anthropocentric or human-centred. Indeed, when it comes to
environmental harm, what actually gets criminalised by and large
reflects an anthropocentric perspective on the nature of the harm in
question. In part this stems from the ways in which 'environmental
rights' are framed in law, particularly in relation to broader developments
vis-à-vis human rights legislation (see Thornton and Tromans, 1999). It
also relates to the strategic interests of industries and indeed humanity
as a whole to protect and preserve particular environments and/or
species for the 'greater good'. Nonhuman nature is therefore viewed
instrumentally, as something to be appropriated, processed, consumed
and disposed of in a manner which best suits the immediate needs and
interests of humans. Fundamentally, the integrity of nonhuman entities
(both biotic and abiotic) is of concern only insofar as these stand to
benefit humans, whether this is economically, aesthetically or however
'worth' is to be measured (as long it is done so relative to what humans
set as the standard).
Natural resource management is concerned with dealing with matters
of productivity and scarcity in relation to nonhuman resources, risk
assessment relative to potential future trends, and incorporating notions
of social equity in relation to natural resource use and access. However,
as discussed further below, the conservation ethic is not always socially
neutral. Certain human interests, including those of large NGOs, may
be privileged in the process of ensuring that future generations will gain
the benefits from things such as forest preservation and animal sanctuary.
The notion of sustainable development reflects the human-centred
idea that instrumental use of nature needs to be carried out in ways
that ensure future exploitation as well as present entitlements. This can
be contrasted with ecological sustainability that refers to eco-system
needs rather than human needs. In the former, the strategic choices
revolve around how best to manage natural resources in ways that help
to alleviate outcomes such as loss of biodiversity, pollution of air and