Reconceiving Environmental Justice: A Capabilities Approach to Reconciling Conservation, Culture, and Community Rights in Tanzania

This paper reimagines environmental justice through the lens of the ‘capabilities approach,’ a framework developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, to address the ethical challenges of environmental conservation in Tanzania, particularly in eviction contexts. It argues that environmental justice must prioritize the diverse capabilities of affected communities, allowing for localized responses to climate change and safeguarding cultural identity. Drawing on the ongoing land disputes across Tanzania, particularly in Ngorongoro, this paper emphasizes the necessity of a community-centred approach that carefully balances land rights, cultural preservation, and the well-being of affected communities. It calls for a rethinking of conventional justice frameworks to more accurately address the experiences and needs of marginalized groups, while advocating for the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives into environmental conservation policies and practices.