Breaking Binaries

Initially, my goal with the site was to illustrate an interdependence between the biological or ecological sciences, and the social sciences. I attempted an environmental management focus in protected forest areas. My research however, steered my interests from environmental management towards cultural binaries. The site also addresses themes and subjects that are a part (or not a part) of environmental discourse and reflected that these themes are often the reflection of a grouping of identity.

Within protected areas, I chose to collect research on tropical forests. I chose forests because they hold a history of shared spaces between human and natural resources. A large number of people, including myself, have probably romanticized the forest the most out of any ecosystem. Forests are seen as part of the wild where our ancestors once struggled and progressed. They are also a large source of many everyday products. However, local production such as agriculture is sometimes deemed by conservationists as harmful to forest systems.

The tropical forest’s mystery and familiarity exposes them to the construction of binaries. Without confronting narratives of tropical forests or protected areas, binaries will be solidified. I hope when readers leave the site they can question black and white statements presented before them.