Bioregionalism: a solution to overcome regional environmental problems

Document Type : Original Article

Author

• Afshin Karami

Assistant Professor of Political Geography, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/irlip.2025.88230.1535

Abstract

In terms of geopolitics, ecological regions do not correspond much with international borders, and this causes a series of discontinuities between environment and political bordering. Therefore, dealing with ecological destruction requires national cooperation and other geopolitical fields. Many geopolitical boundaries also include natural features as part of their overall organization. The turn towards securing borders, especially in the post-9/11 global era, has created priorities for specific types of border construction and border management practices and it has brought devastating ecological effects in both fields. In most cases, political borders do not have much compatibility with natural ecosystems and usually cause the cutting of natural habitats and create gaps in their integrity and disrupt the natural ecosystem of the region. Until a few decades ago, political demarcation had less effects on the ecosystems because the markings were usually done by border pillars and did not create an obstacle for the people living in the border areas. But especially since two decades ago, due to the rule of security discourse in the border areas and turning the border into a point of confrontation with smuggling, illegal immigrants and undesirable elements, we are witnessing a strong strengthening of the border infrastructure. These infrastructures are generally built in the form of walls and electric and steel fences. As a result, the integrated connection of the ecosystems has become disjointed and split. A large part of the natural environment around these border infrastructures has been disrupted, and this requires a review and finding a solution to deal with this security situation. The argument of this research is that bioregionalism can provide a suitable platform for facing the environmental challenges of the 21st century. Therefore, the current research seeks to find an answer to the question of whether bioregionalism can be the basis for regional cooperation based on environmental issues or not. And what challenges are there in the field of bioregionalism? The findings of the research show that bioregionalism can be achieved by two methods: top-down (government-based) and bottom-up (people-based) and with emphasizing border protected areas. The most important challenge facing bioregionalism is the predominance of realist and neo-realist approaches in international relations.

Keywords

• Bioregionalism
• Border
• Protected Areas
• Nature
• State

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