Next Green Thing: Eco-Warriors

Protecting natural resources and wildlife from illegal hunters, poachers and smugglers can be a risky business. A thousand rangers and park wardens have been killed on the job in the last ten years, according to estimates from Africa, Asia, South America, Europe – and the United States. The steady violence has led some environmentalists and academics to advocate for arming rangers to fight fire with fire.

The notion of eco-militias is not new. Military-trained park rangers and armies have been deployed to protect natural resources in Central Africa, Brazil and the Galapagos Islands. But some are pushing to confront extreme eco-destruction with international troops – imagine green helmets intervening as U.N. blue helmets do. These proposals raise big questions about accountability and justice.

Reporter Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow wrote about “eco-interventionism” for the Boston Globe “Ideas” section, and she joins us on Word of Mouth to discuss the idea.

(Photo by MATEUS_27:24&25)