The final chapter of Emma Marris’ Rambunctious Garden wraps up the overall goals she wishes to achieve with this writing. She outlines some ambitions she thinks ecologists should have in their work. I think this was a good way to end the book because it wrapped up pretty much all of the points she made throughout the writing in a way that leaves the reader with a lasting impression. One goal I really would like to see accomplished is to protect the rights of other species before focusing on the benefits for humans. This comes into play when developing land or affecting a habitat in anyway. For the most part, we as a species put ourselves first when developing land. Marris brings up the point that “deep ecology” is conducting ecological operations while giving special care to all species even though they are not human. I believe that this is the ideology to go into studies with because although it will lessen the amount that humans can profit from the environment, it will provide some protection and relief for other species. This in turn could help to achieve some of the other goals that Marris lays out.
Another goal that I found to be appropriate was to protect charismatic mega fauna. The general consensus among the average citizen is that these creatures should be protected for their beauty and aesthetic qualities on the environments they live in. People travel far and wide to see these majestic beasts such as rhinos and elephants. While they do provide a certain aesthetic pleasure to humans, these animals play a key role in their ecosystems. Being such large animals with large grazing areas, they affect enormous pieces of land. By protecting these creatures, these large parcels of land are kept in check. If elephants were to suddenly vanish from the African plain, the effects on species living there would be unpredictable and most likely not positive. Protecting mega fauna is also an economical way to protect other species as well. It would cost a lot of money to implement policies and techniques to protect all the species of an ecosystem. It costs a lot less to implement policies to protect one species, such as the elephant, whose protection could positively help the species around it. We would then be killing two birds with one stone, or more literally, saving multiple species with lower costs.
Marris closes her book with the concept of a “rambunctious garden.” She wants people to realize that throughout history we have altered nature and thus should not just abandon it now that we have taken so much from it. We need to manage it and “garden” it. Although she brought up a lot of differing theories and techniques of this “gardening” throughout the book such as novel ecosystems and historical restoration, she ultimately views them all as decent enough attempts at managing nature and keeping it lively for years to come. I really did enjoy this book and will definitely be coming away from it with a greater appreciation for every aspect of nature I encounter in my day to day life.
