23/04/03

Getting to grips with dynamic conservation

By: Sandra Knapp

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<h1>Getting to grips with dynamic conservation</h1>
<h4>By: Sandra Knapp</h4>
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<p>The word ‘conservation’ seems to imply stasis — in conserving a species, habitat or lifestyle, we expect it to remain the same. <BR><BR>But in this article, Sandra Knapp argues that the natural world is ever-changing, even in the absence of human intervention, and that the challenge is to preserve the dynamism of a world in which humans are relative newcomers.<BR><BR>She says that the current use of our planet is clearly not sustainable, and that we should not seek to conserve the situation in which we find ourselves today. Conservation of a dynamic, resilient natural world will require a great deal of cooperation, a large dose of science and an immense synthesis of existing information, she says.<BR><BR><a href="http://www.nature.com/login/scidev_login.taf?ref=/nature/journal/v422/n6931/full/422475a_fs.html" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to <em>Nature</em> article</A><BR><BR>Reference: <em>Nature</em> 422, 475 (2003)</p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/getting-to-grips-with-dynamic-conservation/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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The word ‘conservation’ seems to imply stasis — in conserving a species, habitat or lifestyle, we expect it to remain the same.

But in this article, Sandra Knapp argues that the natural world is ever-changing, even in the absence of human intervention, and that the challenge is to preserve the dynamism of a world in which humans are relative newcomers.

She says that the current use of our planet is clearly not sustainable, and that we should not seek to conserve the situation in which we find ourselves today. Conservation of a dynamic, resilient natural world will require a great deal of cooperation, a large dose of science and an immense synthesis of existing information, she says.

Link to Nature article

Reference: Nature 422, 475 (2003)