Chapter 10 of Rambunctious Garden was the last chapter of the book and discussed some of the difficulties that come with conservation. Conservation often comes with a very high cost and limited resources so people have to choose which projects are worth taking on. Marris summarized several goals of conservation, which include protecting the rights of other species, protecting charismatic megafauna, slowing the rate of extinctions, protecting genetic diversity, defining and defending biodiversity, maximizing ecosystem services, and protecting the spiritual and aesthetic experience of nature.
An example of conflict between these goals can be seen in protecting the rights of other species and slowing the rates of extinctions. If Galapagos Penguins are endangered due to rats eating baby penguins, it makes sense to kill the rats and/or move the rats out of the ecosystem. However, this strategy can conflict with the rights of the rats. Some people would argue that it is not fair to the rats to kill them off or move them out of the ecosystem. Tough choices have to be made.
A very interesting theory is the protection of characteristic megafauna. The theory behind this is that people love animals like tigers, pandas, gorillas, and polar bears and are willing to donate money to save these animals. Its turns out however, that protecting these animals can also help smaller animals that live in the same ecosystems as those animals. These large animals roam long distances so conservationists can argue to have larger areas of land protected, which would in turn help smaller animals as well.
Protecting characteristic megafauna seems like a very good idea. People are willing to contribute to this cause because megafauna are very beautiful and exotic. This plan will also help smaller species. In addition, protecting the spiritual and aesthetic experience nature is a very important cause. While we should strive to take conservation tactics in cities, it is important to protect national parks. These provide wonderful recreational activities and are very peaceful. Spending time in these areas eases the mind and soul. Environmental experts have some tough decisions to make in the near future which will change the world. It is of utmost importance for people to get educated in the issues and help experts make the best decisions.
