Beyond Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change

by David N. Cole (Editor), Laurie Yung (Editor)

The central concept guiding the management of parks and wilderness over the past century has been “naturalness”—to a large extent the explicit purpose in establishing these special areas was to keep them in their “natural” state. But what does that mean, particularly as the effects of stressors such as habitat fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, pollution, invasive species, and climate change become both more pronounced and more pervasive?
 
Beyond Naturalness brings together leading scientists and policymakers to explore the concept of naturalness, its varied meanings, and the extent to which it provides adequate guidance regarding where, when, and how managers should intervene in ecosystem processes to protect park and wilderness values. The main conclusion is the idea that naturalness will continue to provide an important touchstone for protected area conservation, but that more specific goals and objectives are needed to guide stewardship.
 
The issues considered in Beyond Naturalness are central not just to conservation of parks, but to many areas of ecological thinking—including the fields of conservation biology and ecological restoration—and represent the cutting edge of discussions of both values and practice in the twenty-first century. This bookoffers excellent writing and focus, along with remarkable clarity of thought on some of the difficult questions being raised in light of new and changing stressors such as global environmental climate change.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Joel Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science for every one, Beyond Naturalness stands near the boundary of peer reviewed science. Cole has taken the peer reviewed science papers, their figures, and the essential data to explain the essence behind what ecologists, naturalist divisions (National and State Parks), and even adults are beginning to witness: our current environments are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Sequoia National Park is considering installing sprinkler systems to keep the beloved trees alive as the mist and fog volumes are drying up. Other National Parks have to plant large numbers of flora each year and wonder what will our spaces become when herd of large animals move north, beyond their boundaries. Cole brings these arguments and the data front and center to better show us how quickly, in what direction our world is changing, and what we may be able to do to change it.

[Sarah Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to conservation in the Anthropocene, especially for park managers, people who work in the field, and academics who don't want to read a stack of academic papers. It is academic but written in an accessible style if you have some background knowledge, and it's written in an effort to provide pragmatic advice. It's not always possible because sometimes the most realistic advice is not yet known and recommendations are still rather vague, but the collective expertise of the authors in this volume will provide something for anyone interested in the topic. The only thing I am upset about is that I have read most of the author's work in journal articles and other books, so I felt like I was just hearing the same things repeated that I already knew. (I regret not having just read this book 6 years ago when it came out!)