Beyond Naturalness
Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change
- 304 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Beyond Naturalness
Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change
About This Book
The central concept guiding the management of parks and wilderness over the past century has been "naturalness"âto 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 thinkingâincluding the fields of conservation biology and ecological restorationâand 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.
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Table of contents
- About Island Press
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- PREFACE
- Chapter 1 - Park and Wilderness Stewardship: The Dilemma of Management Intervention
- Chapter 2 - The Trouble with Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Goals
- PART I - The Changing Context of Park and Wilderness Stewardship
- PART II - Approaches to Guide Protected Area Conservation
- PART III - Management Strategies for Implementing New Approaches
- CONTRIBUTORS
- INDEX
- Island Press | Board of Directors