In chapter 8 of Rambunctious Garden, Marris talks about designer ecosystems. Designer ecosystems are ecosystems developed to achieve a specific goal, such as “nitrogen reduction, sediment capture, or the maintenance of one or a small number of species.” This is a different type of conservation, as opposed to trying to restore land to a baseline. This method of conservation is much better than trying to recreate an ecosystem of the past. This is because nature is constantly changing and baselines do not take into account for an area has changed. What was there before might not be good for today. Furthermore, designer ecosystems can make an area even better than it was before. Take for example, the conservation goal of saving the Galapagos penguin. The penguin is endangered and only two thousand remain. One of the threats to their survival are introduced rats who eat the chicks. One solution to the problem would be to get rid of the introduced rats. However, a better solution that was used was for scientist to drill more nesting wholes into the rocks for the birds. This increases the number of chicks that can be born, so the population can increase, and not be so effected by the rats. The drilling of the nests does not restore the ecosystem to a baseline, but it does make the ecosystem better for the Galapagos penguin. Creating designer ecosystems is a much better conservation tool than returning it to a baseline. Designer ecosystems can make a habitat better since it is working toward a goal, and it can also allow humans and nature to live together and work together better.
In chapter 9, Marris talks about different conservation views and how they tie together. She mentions strategies she had talked about in earlier chapters, such as rewilding, assisted migration, and novel ecosystems, and how even though they all seem very different, they are all about “making the most out of every scrap of land and water, no matter its condition.” Marris says that conservation should be everywhere in order for us to get the most out of protected areas. Little areas of nature may not seem like much, but they really are something. Take her example of a small park in the middle of industrial access roads at the end of Duwamish Diagonal Avenue. It is in the middle of industrialness, but it is still peaceful and quite, and there are even animals, like the Canadian geese, and a seal. Industrial areas can have nature as well, like with the example of the Hostess Cupcake factory roof, and can help to bring people closer to nature and move species. As Marris says, this kind of strategy is quite easy for citizens to do and they can use pretty much any space. I think is would be a really good strategy to be implemented everywhere. It might seem like a lot, but it is a small first step that everyone can take in order to people to become more connected and closer with nature.
