Foregrounding ecojustice: A case study on trans-species accompaniment

Abstract

A tsunami of development projects is sweeping across the planet. This includes another 25 million kilometres of new paved roads by 2050 – enough to encircle the globe more than 600 times. Approximately 90% of these new roads will be built in low- and middle-income countries that are likely to have high biodiversity. This paper focuses on the environmental impact of 1.2 km of road planned to be built through endangered western leopard toad habitat and breeding ponds and extending into a greater wetland system in Cape Town. This paper reports a case study of the experiences of two female community environmental activists (the authors) throughout the public participation process and environmental impact assessment for this road. The results show the contesting of power in public participatory spaces as a form of transspecies accompaniment, and the generation of emotive knowledge (including distress and a sense of betrayal).  The paper contributes to the existing knowledge of the execution of trans-species accompaniment in the context of public participation processes to seek ecojustice.