Warren, your list of human interventions in nature leaves out one of the
most important: rape. The slaughter of the buffalo, deforestation followed
by abandonment, etc.
Martin
2011/1/18 Warren W. Aney <[email protected]>
> The terms "conservation" and "gardening" do not cover the full range and
> intent of human manipulations of natural systems if you consider such terms
> as preservation, restoration, mitigation, and enhancement.
> Nevertheless, and to answer Jason's questions, I would consider "gardening"
> to be relatively high investment and continuing management with the intent
> of achieving and maintaining a predefined stable and productive state,
> measuring production in terms of values such as timber, grazing, botanical
> displays, an attractively landscaped pond, etc.
> I would consider "conservation" to be investing and managing with the goal
> of achieving the system's self-maintaining natural state, e.g., mature and
> relatively stable forests, shrub-grassland steppes, wetlands. This may
> involve intensive first steps such as invasive removal and native
> replanting, stream diversion and restoration, or woodland thinning. It may
> also entail subsequent interventions such as invasives control and
> controlled burns.
> In my view tree farms, arboretums and game farms are "gardening" -- but so
> is the California Condor restoration effort in its present state.
> "Conservation" can be anything from its popular definition of "wise use" to
> the strict non-interventionist "let nature take its course" (which may
> require centuries to achieve any sort of balanced state, if it ever does).
>
> Warren W. Aney
> Senior Wildlife Ecologist
> Tigard, OR 97223
> (503) 539-1009
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jason Hernandez
> Sent: Monday, 17 January, 2011 17:09
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Conservation or just gardening?
>
> This question is inspired by a conversation with a former employer. When
> do
> our interventions cease to be conservation and become gardening?
>
> For the sake of argument, I was taking the purist position: that ideally,
> we
> want to be able to put a fence around a natural area and walk away, letting
> nature manage it. But as my employer rightly pointed out, that is just not
> a realistic expectation in the 21st century, what with invasive species,
> systemic pollution, human pressures on surrounding areas, and countless
> other factors which will not go away. But of course, she also knew that
> there is a degree of intervention which crosses the line from conservation
> to gardening, that is, caring for a population that no longer participates
> in its ecosystem processes.
>
> There is, of course, a continuum of interventions. Removal of invasive
> competitors is a relatively light intervention; growing seedlings in a
> greenhouse and then planting them out is more intensive; maintaining an in
> vitro germplasm collection still more intensive. Are there any recognized
> criteria for determining the boundary between conservation and gardening?
> And if a species is beyond saving with conservation, how worthwhile is it
> to
> save that species with gardening? Can we determine when a species' only
> hope is gardening?
>
> Jason Hernandez
> Biological Science Technician, USDA Forest Service
>
>
>
>
