Relevant to us: conservation (wise use)
Science: formal means of acquiring knowledge
Relevant to us: scientific study of the number and distribution of organisms
Management: control the movement or behavior
Relevant to us: manipulate number and/or distribution of organisms to meet specific objectives
Policy should be firmly grounded in science, should be informed by past
and current management, and should be guided by the future needs of both
science and management.
The science of ecology should provide a foundation for environmental protection and therefore for much of the practice of conservation biology and natural resource management. It should inform, and be informed by, policy.
Progressive environmental protection is based on societal needs, as filtered through policy, and is also rooted in science, though it must consider several other elements as well.
Historically, management of natural resources has been simple ...
... and probably too simple, given the underlying complexity of the systems being managed. This tendency for simplification is driven by at least two factors:
People in different groups have different views of the goal of
science
Some people are fearful of science (or what they think science is)
Lack of appreciation for, or suspicion of, science leads to policies of isolationism
Repairing the links between policy, science, and management:
Policy must be rooted in science and practice
Speed of scientific inquiry rarely matches the urgency of environmental
problems
Inform science and scientists
Professionals in each of the groups must work hard to understand the other
enterprises (and their own), and to maintain open lines of communication
between each other
When conducted properly, science lacks bias and subjectivity
Before you come to class, calculate
your ecological footprint (if you're short on time, use the fast and
simple
alternative footprint calculator); we will discuss the results in
class
Dawkins, R. 1998. Unweaving the Rainbow : Science, Delusion, and the Appetite for Wonder. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
McPherson, G.R. and DeStefano, S. 2002. Applied Ecology and Natural Resource Management. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
Weinberg, S. 2001. Facing Up: Science and Its Cultural Adversaries. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Wilson, E.O. 1998. Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. Knopf, New York.