Conservation - Two Book Reviews

by Maggie Paque

Book Cover: Reintroduction Biology

Book Cover: Reintroduction Biology“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” — Th. Dobzhansky, 1973.

Wiley-Blackwell publishes a book series on “Conservation Science and Practice” that gives much insight into conservation, ecosystem restoration, reintroduction biology, population and community ecology, and natural resource management, largely in a multidisciplinary context that includes social and economic considerations.

One book in the series is: Reintroduction Biology: Integrating Science and Management, [2012. Eds: J.G. Ewen, D.P. Armstrong, K.A. Parker, and P.J. Seddon, ISBN 978-1-4051-8674-2.]

The authors recognize that “reintroduction biology” is a “fledgling discipline”; that the success of a project depends on many factors, including “public and legislative support.” They admit that “any reintroduction is a step into the unknown” but can be successful with informed species and habitat selection.
“We all know that biodiversity faces acute challenges over much of the globe: species are under ecological siege through loss of habitat and the pressures of invasives, and many species are already responding to the impacts of climate change in various ways.”

The translocation of an endangered species to a favourable habitat, combined with ongoing care, monitoring, and fine-tuning can – and has many times – resulted in a successful reintroduction, and is the result of a “marriage between science and responsible management.”

Based on both academics and field experience, this book appeals to NGOs, community conservation groups, government agencies, and research institutions. It spells out how detailed planning coupled with sound scientific knowledge and natural history observation can help reverse some of the loss of species the world has experienced over the past decades.

Book Cover: Historical Environmental Variation in Conservation and Natural Resource ManagementAnother Wiley-Blackwell book, while not in the series, is interesting from both a conservation and a philosophical perspective: Historical Environmental Variation in Conservation and Natural Resource Management. [2012. Eds: J.A. Wiens, G.D. Hayward, H.D. Safford, and C.M. Giffen, ISBN 978-1-4443-3793-8.] This book has a companion website: www.wiley.com/go/wiens/historicalenvironmentalvariation

This is a timely tome in that, more and more, we are realizing that the fact of climate change means managing natural – primarily forest and wildlife – resources is a whole new ball game.

Historical environmental variation refers to the historical range of variation (HRV) used to inform decision-making. It is a tool used by “conservationists and resource managers on which to base decisions.” HRV is based on the premise that knowledge and understanding of historical ecological conditions is “necessary in understanding the temporal [and spatial] dynamics that shape the response of a system to drivers of change, both natural and anthropogenic.”

But how valid is HRV today? This is a time of “global change driven by development, globalization, and anthropogenic climate change. The realization that the future is likely to be quite unlike the past leads many managers and scientists to question the value of historical knowledge … [the use of] reference conditions from the past may no longer be sustainable and may not be appropriate guides for decisions about the future.”

The tensions between past, present, and future are revealed in this book: “…the future is built on foundations laid in the past … The mechanisms by which organisms and ecosystems respond to global change in the future will be those by which they have responded in the past.” In other words, evolutionary processes are not what’s changing.

This book also presents a number of case studies, one of which (Chapter 11) is by Andy MacKinnon and Sari Saunders of BC’s Ministry of Natural Resource Operations, Coast Area, and is a discussion on concepts of HRV in ecosystem-based management (EBM) of BC’s coastal temperate rainforest. It includes a discussion of the implications of climate change for use of HRV within EBM.

These two books complement each other by focusing on different aspects of conserving and restoring Nature. The first focuses on planning, methods, and practices necessary to achieve success, while the second focuses more on tools and concepts.

Many terms and concepts in these books are both simple and complex, as is the subject matter of conservation, species reintroduction, natural resource management, and climate change. Here, the term “natural resources” includes everything from biodiversity to wilderness.

The books will appeal to those who want to understand or learn more about the underlying principles in conservation and natural resource management. They can help us answer the questions: Can we restore this ecosystem? How will the changing climate affect our decisions? Why should we try to eradicate invasive species? Are we just trying to “freeze the clock” on local evolution or speciation?

Generally, these books will appeal to those who also like to engage in philosophical conversations on conservation and restoration efforts: “Why should we restore ecosystems? Do we have a responsibility to Nature? Who are we, to think we can restore Nature? What if we’re wrong to think we can ‘fix’ natural systems?”
Some say we are showing how egotistical we mere humans are to think we can conserve or restore Nature. On the other hand, “ego” is a valid and important aspect of human nature, particularly when tempered with knowledge, experience, even innate wisdom. While the word does have negative connotations, some degree of ego is required for survival. For most people working in this field, it’s not only survival of humans that inspires them to act, but survival of species and ecosystems. And I don’t think they’re considering survival in a static sense, but in a dynamic sense that fosters natural progression of changes in both.

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Maggie Paquet is a biologist, writer, editor, and an avid reader of books of all kinds.

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