When the National Parks and Indigenous Territories Overlap: Topologies Contesting the Property between Politics of Conservation and Ethnicity in Colombia

Abstract

"In the field of common property at global scale, all nations, countries and peoples have been living processes of integration and conflicts around space-people categories, and its political, economical, social and cultural implications. In diversity matter -defining diversity as a global contemporary common-, both biodiversity and cultural diversity (sociodiversity) had shared declaratory process of 'protected areas' focused to conservation of species, ecosystems, peoples and local knowledge among other issues.

"Topologies defined as categories of physical and symbolic space, had given place to natural reserves, national parks, indigenous reserves and other collective territories. What is happening in the world when the national parks (considered these as a kind of common property based in expertise, scientific State administration) overlap with indigenous territories whom peoples base its identity in sovereignty and autonomy, contesting rights control over land, resources and biodiversity?

"Develop this question, in this paper I treat to identify the main historical and sociopolitical situations derived of the overlap between indigenous territories (Resguardos) and protected areas (National Parks) considered as people-space categories. Methodologically, first I will review a brief historical perspective about changes in space configurations of indigenous territories and national parks in Colombia; and second I will treat identify aspects in which overlapping topologies reflect conflicts around common property governability."