Conservation Conscience and Action: What Does it Reflect?
| Prior to the turn of the previous century, conservation was barely thought about, much less practiced. But the early 1900’s brought new laws, the expansion of national forests and refuges and a definition of conservation by Theodore Roosevelt’s head of forestry, Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot defined conservation as “the greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time”. Of course he was referring to people – the greatest good to the greatest number of people. It was a start, and some early conservationists fought for protection of birds, bison and other national wildlife. For wildlife populations like the last remaining bison (only about 1,000 remained from herds of perhaps 50 million that ranged the grasslands of America), and migratory birds (millions were slaughtered each year to adorn fashionable hats of the time), it was fortunately in time to prevent extinction. Others were not so lucky. The last passenger pigeon, a species which once numbered in the billions, died in 1914. In 1915 a federal campaign against predators began, and wiped out coyotes, wolves, bears and mountain lions in many areas of the U.S. Over the next 50 years, despite rising voices of conservationists and other scientists like Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson, the general trend was greater pollution, suburban sprawl and continued war on wolves and other predators. In the 60’s, the same time Rachel Carson’s legendary book, Silent Spring was published, Vietnam servicemen were being subjected to our own chemical warfare. However, the tide started turning with the passage of a clean air act, a wilderness preservation system, the National Environmental Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. In the 1970’s, more than 20 additional environmental protection laws were passed and grassroots campaigns began in earnest. | ||||||
|
||||||
| So
here it is, the 21st century - where are we now? There
is certainly more awareness of conservation, the effects of pesticides
and other toxins on wildlife and the environment, the consequences
of habitat loss and degradation, and the importance of biodiversity.
Children in many countries are being taught to reduce waste, recycle
and reuse resources. Wildlife and conservation
organizations are well funded and most people would tell you
that environmental health is an important issue. There have been
some immense successes with bringing back some endangered
species like the bald
eagle, alligator
and peregrine falcon from the brink of extinction. However, not
much has changed in the way of trends. We have at least as many
new problems to face – fisheries declines, not enough fresh
water, wildlife and people with compromised immune systems, fertility
problems and neurological defects, rapidly increasing species
extinctions, and a human population explosion. Going back to the
beginning of this article at the start of the 20th
century, when conservation was just being discussed, there were
1.7 billion people on earth. Only 100 years later, there are over
6 billion of us! The United Nations estimates there could be 11
billion by 2050. We see the competition for resources there is
now – Do we give water to farmers or endangered species,
to salmon or power plants, to new cities or dying rivers? Do we
save endangered species or crops and villages? Do we save wetlands
or allow development? Many of us may still be around to see what
life will be like 40 or 50 years from now. It may be possible
to survive with 11 billion people and very little wildlife. Or
it may be impossible. Things may be too off balance. The actions
we take now, like the ones taken over the past century, will determine
what the outcome will be.
How do you want to picture the future? |
||||||
References:
|
||||||
