How did nature conservation start, is there a definitive starting point for the movement? Particularly the late nineteenth century saw many firsts in environmental conservation, such as protests against pollution and efforts to preserve natural resources and the wilderness. Globally, changes in politics were starting to take effect. In 1872, the world-famous Yellowstone National Park was founded. Only the Bogd Khan Uul, located south of Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, was created earlier, in 1783, making it the world’s oldest National Park. At the beginning of the 20th century, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was deeply committed to placing millions of acres of nature under federal protection. All in all, he established 150 national forests, 51 bird reserves, and four national game reserves.
Hunting as a means of conservation?
Historically, hunting reserves have always ignited a lot of conversation – and still do. In England, royal woodlands were designated as hunting grounds reserved for the crown since the 11th century. Practices are known to have included the chasing and killing of wild animals with packs of dogs and were only outlawed by the Hunting Act in 2004. However, due to this tradition, old oaks – critical to the survival of a great number of species – remained largely untouched (unlike many of them in the rest of the country). It therefore seems that hunting can be beneficial for conservation efforts, depending on your perspective, upbringing, and consequent moral outline.
In many parts of Africa, limited trophy hunting is allowed. Although such killing “for fun” is by many seen as a particularly gruesome practice, the financial capital created by the “sustainable hunting” of lions or giraffes will often be used for conservation projects: One death for the survival of many others. This may reduce even greater threats such as poaching and habitat loss. However, from an ethical point of view, this practice still sparks a lot of controversy.
How has conservation changed over time?
World War II and its aftermath put a momentary stop to worldwide progress. After this difficult time, a soaring economy and personal affluence were widely seen as more significant than the natural world. Additionally, new developments such as atomic energy, the chemical revolution in agriculture, and the growth of the synthetic material industry created even more environmental threats. In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, an environmental science book, which would later be named one of the greatest scientific literature of all time. In it, she documented environmental concerns such as the use of synthetic pesticides. The publication led to changes in the U.S. pesticide policy, a nationwide ban of DDT (an insecticide) for agricultural uses as well as a movement causing the formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The modern green movement also emerged around that time, addressing the concerns of environmentalism as a diverse group of organizations, political parties, and individuals, operating on both the small and large scale.
Soon thereafter, nature conservation started to find its way into global agreements. For instance, the EU environment policy got its start at the European Council held in Paris in 1972. To this day, the EU plays a key role in international environment conferences. In more recent times, the EU helped guide negotiations for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change – two international agreements of major importance.
More and more, conservation has also been established in the world of tourism. The term “ecotourism” was coined about forty years ago to describe traveling to mostly exotic natural places responsibly and sustainably. This includes having only minimal impact on the environment and supporting conservation efforts as well as local communities. Costa Rica was one of the first countries to promote sustainable tourism practices and has additionally put more than 25% of the country’s land aside as National Parks or reserves.
Conservation heroes
Many people have shown great commitment to the conservation of nature, including now famous environmentalists and wildlife conservationists. A prime example of this is Jane Goodall. Although she was not given scientific training before undertaking her research, Jane’s patient and observant character allowed her to develop unique methods of research on chimpanzees and led to many amazing discoveries. Her findings in Tanzania changed the definition of man since she discovered that chimps could make tools. Up until then, it was believed only humans could do so. Jane’s endless enthusiasm for the natural world and its conservation has allowed her to reach countless people over the years.
Charismatic storyteller David Attenborough has spent eight decades working as a writer, presenter, and narrator for the BBC Natural History Unit. During this time he has been awarded many honorary degrees and awards, making him an almost legendary wildlife conservationist. Most importantly, however, his ongoing work advocating for the environment was received by millions all over the planet. Recently, Attenborough’s programs started to focus more on the impact of human society on the natural world, including mentions of the sixth mass extinction and the impacts of deforestation.
What is conservation today?
So, what is the history of nature conservation? And how is it today? While it used to be possible to establish large areas for conservation such as national parks, quite easily, our planet has since become more crowded and developed, and hence is putting more pressure on the natural world. It seems that conservation has now become more about conserving nature for humanity’s sake rather than for the sake of the healthy functioning of ecosystems and the diversity of life.
So what is conservation today? First and foremost, it seems that conserving nature needs to be convenient and advantageous for mankind to want to preserve it. We see a fine balance between the willingness to take the extra step, and the fact that we do the bare minimum to mitigate our impact. Nonetheless, we are positive that current efforts are paving the way for a positive outcome. The Western world shows a slow but steady shift towards more involvement in nature. We need to balance out our hectic 9-5 lives with silent walks in nature and are therefore committed to the protection of it.
Another change is that the world has become much more interconnected over time. This is great for a lot of reasons, but also means that mitigation on subjects like biodiversity loss, climate change, energy crises, and access to basic resources needs to be handled collectively as well. Easier said than done, as countries want their economies to be boosted while issues such as climate change need to be mitigated. Conservationists, climate activists, governments as well as large companies will need to come together to change the narrative.
Challenges to inspire growth
Overall, the nature conservation movement has evolved tremendously over the last few centuries. Looking at the whole picture, one thing is clear: we as a species want to benefit from it as well. In this day and age that we currently live in we are well informed and educated. We know how important it is to save species, to protect ecosystems as a whole. The conservation movement is facing other, perhaps more difficult challenges than centuries ago, but the movement and the will to act is bigger than ever.
Here at Ubuntu Magazine, we hope to inform you about current conservation projects and the people behind them, to inspire you to join the nature conservation movement and make a difference. Don’t forget to check out our magazines.
