Abstract

Top-down management approaches and environmental authoritarianism risk generating social inequalities and are thus deemed unattractive by many critical conservation social scientists. China’s natural resource governance has often been characterised as a form of authoritarian environmentalism. Using China’s Green Shield Action campaign as a case, the presenter will share fieldwork conducted in Fujian Province between 2019 and 2022. The talk will explore the dynamic interactions among stakeholders, the role of campaigns in environmental governance, and the logic behind policy formulation, implementation, and revision. Drawing on China’s Green Shield Action as a case, the presentation will offer a broad overview of authoritarian environmentalism and aims to stimulate further rese