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Authenticity in Nature: Making Choices about the Naturalness of Ecosystems book cover

1st Edition

Authenticity in Nature Making Choices about the Naturalness of Ecosystems

By Nigel Dudley Copyright 2011
256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
This book examines the concept of naturalness in ecosystems, discusses its values and considers choices about the level of naturalness in conservation efforts. The author argues that all ecosystems have been modified and the idea of places 'untouched by humans' is a myth. But there are large differences in the degree of modification and levels of naturalness which can be identified. Changes are... Read more
Preface.  Introduction  1. The Myths of Wilderness, Myth 1: Natural Ecosystems Still Exist  2. The Myths of Wilderness, Myth 2: Naturalness is Irrelevant  3. How our Attitudes to Natural Ecosystems Change with Time and Place  4. Defining Naturalness and Authenticity  5. Authenticity, Ethics and Conservation Targets  6. The Things We Get from Natural Ecosystems  7. Global Attempts to Assess Naturalness  8. Managing for Authenticity  9. Into the Future  10. A Manifesto for Authenticity.  References

Biography

Nigel Dudley is an ecologist and consultant, based in Bristol, UK, working on issues relating to forest conservation, protected areas and broad scale approaches to conservation He is co-author of Forest Quality (2006) and co-editor with Sue Stolton of Partnerships for Protection (1999) and Arguments for Protected Areas (2010, all Earthscan).

"Dudley’s book is ... similar to Simon Levin’s Fragile Dominion (1999), E. O. Wilson’s The Future of Life (2002) or Carolyn Merchant’s Reinventing Eden (2003). An established environmental scientist, Dudley also uses his travels to bring colour to his writing, but his hypothesis comes from a thoughtful examination of various attempts to define ‘natural’ and ‘wild’ — by scientists, philosophers, managers, non-governmental organizations and policy-makers. Dudley demonstrates that there is neither coherence nor consensus as to what constitutes naturalness or wildness. He suggests that we focus instead on "authenticity". - Shahid Naeem, Professor of Ecology, Columbia University, USA, in Nature (1 September 2011).

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