Humans are indeed part of what western civilization labels as nature, wilderness, the wild, etc.I have been reading an interesting book "Conservation Refugees" by Mark Dowie who addressesthe conflicts that have arisen when conservation NGO's have pushed native, indigenous people out of national parks, conservation and biodiversity reserves. Many of these organizations had at one timealways excluded humans from these so-called pristine natural environments, but have started to doan about face and address the importance that people play on a landscape who have intimate knowledgeof the flora and fauna in these areas. Many western ecologists, have for many years, played down the importanceor acknowledged the role that humans play in a functioning ecosystem. It is quite easy for someone, sitting in theiracademic / corporate ivory tower to (sometimes) make these baseless judgments on the role that humans play in nature.Are humans part of nature?Unequivocally, Yes. Stephen Peterson > Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 11:01:54 -0600 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Are humans part of nature? > To: [email protected] > > Bill, > > How could Humans not be part of nature? Are we not living organisms? I feel > as though this conversation is better suited for a Sunday school class. > Sorry... > > Tom > > > > > In a message dated 08/08/09 10:17:36 Mountain Daylight Time, > [email protected] writes: > An anthropologist writing on another mailing list wrtoe that "... human > beings, and indeed human cultures, have developed as a part of evolutionary > processes. This is something that a fair proportion of ecologists do not > acknowledge. At my Ph.D. institution, I have had ecologists tell me that > humans ARE NOT part of nature!" I find this statement remarkable, and would > like to know whether it is indeed true that "a fair proportion of > ecologists" feel that "humans ARE NOT part of nature". Comments on this > would be welcome. > > Bill Silvert
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