3 ms·
On a similar note: George Monbiot once wrote an article (don't have the time to spend a half hour searching it) where he laments that most conservation societie
by vanderZwan 3y ago
On a similar note: George Monbiot once wrote an article (don't have the time to spend a half hour searching it) where he laments that most conservation societies are basically just a bunch of local volunteers trying to preserve nature as they remember it from their childhood... not realizing that that ecology was already incredibly impoverished.
Which then results in sad scenarios where, say, a local forest is left alone and starts to recover, and starts to show signs of ecological succession[0], which is then stopped by these conservation societies. Because that usually implies new species of trees and shrubs that weren't in the version of nature they remember, and are therefore deemed "invasive".
Nature conservation is full of good intentions hampered by a lack of ecological understanding.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_succession https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_succession
- bombcar 3y agoIt might be https://www.monbiot.com/2013/07/16/the-naturalists-who-are-terrified-of-nature/ https://www.monbiot.com/2013/07/16/the-naturalists-who-are-t... or similar. Strange to see how different Britain is from the USA, maybe because the USA is slightly bigger. Around here there's any number of conservation/wildlife preserves and they literally buy land, maybe put a trail through it and a dinky dirt parking lot at the trailhead, and then just leave it alone. As in literally don't do anything.
- seabass-labrax 3y agoIt wasn't clear to me whether 'around here' from your comment refers to Britain or the USA.
- bombcar 3y agoI meant the USA, especially the huge swaths of BLM land, but also all the wildlife conservatories I've ever seen. What the article I linked is talking about would be called a "farm preservation society" around here, and some do exist, but it's rare.
- vanderZwan 3y agoI doubt size has as much to do with it as the fact that Europe didn't have a "great dying" of its native peoples, followed by colonization. And it's agricultural and industrial history is also very different so the natural landscape was vastly different to begin with. Not bringing that up as an "America bad" comment, just pointing out that the way people in either country look at "their" land is different.