“Chlorophyll ideology” and Protected Areas. The Social Discourses on the Reserve Area “Tancat de la Pipa” in the Albufera Natural Park (Spain)

• Main Authors: Marina Requena i Mora, José Manuel Rodríguez Victoriano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Foundation Pro Scientia Publica 2014-09-01
• Series: Journal of Education Culture and Society
• Subjects: consumption sociology; political ecology; qualitative research; critical discourse analysis
• Online Access: http://nowadays.home.pl/JECS/data/documents/JECS=201=20=282014=29=2041-57.pdf

Since the end of the last century, the empirical evidence that the natural limits to growth were being overstepped (García, 2004) supposed an increase in environmental awareness and led to a search for answers of different kinds. Most of these answers are part of the neoliberal politics that reconcile economic development with environmental sustainability. One of these solutions is the creation of protected areas. In this paper we analyse, firstly, the growth of protected areas in Europe and how we should perceive that growth. Then, we pay special attention to the theoretical implications of the concept of a “Natural Park”, one of the most common kinds of protected area in Spain. Subsequently, based on our research in the Albufera Natural Park (Spain) and one of the reserve areas, “El Tancat de la Pipa”, we present the limitations and possibilities of these spaces. The analysis of the discourses, produced through interviews and discussion groups, contextualizes the social representations of this habitat according to their connection with the different social sectors and unravels the meaning given to this area. For the traditional sectors, “El Tancat de la Pipa” is perceived as an expropriation of their land. For environmental technicians, the area represents an object of environmental, educational and scientific consumption. For the ecology movements, it is a “renaturalized” area that is in keeping with developmentalism. And finally, for modernization consumers, this zone means a place for consumption that should receive “more marketing” and be transformed into a “theme park” for family leisure.