Caste systems influence conservation exclusion of Indigenous groups globally
Original framing: “Global Caste is missing in conservation discourse” — bing news
The original framing omits the role of caste in shaping access to natural resources and conservation participation, as well as the exclusion of Dalit and Adivasi voices in environmental governance. It also lacks recognition of how caste intersects with gender and class to deepen marginalization.
Critical structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
This narrative is primarily produced by conservation NGOs and academic institutions in the Global North, often in collaboration with elite or dominant caste groups in the Global South. The framing serves to obscure the role of colonial and post-colonial power structures in shaping conservation policies, which often align with the interests of powerful landowners and exclude marginalized castes and Indigenous groups.
Indigenous communities, particularly Adivasi in India and other caste-affected regions, have long-standing ecological knowledge and conservation practices that are systematically excluded from formal conservation frameworks. Their exclusion is not due to lack of expertise, but because of caste-based marginalization and lack of political representation.
The exclusion of caste-affected and Indigenous communities from conservation discourse is not incidental but systemic, rooted in colonial legacies and entrenched social hierarchies.