Rambunctious Garden Chap 8 & 9

Chapters 8 and 9 of Marris’ “Rambunctious Garden” differ largely from traditional conservationist efforts discussed in previous chapters. Marris introduces us to a new term in chapter 8, “designer ecosystems.” Rather than striving to achieve a specific baseline, Marris suggests focusing on “building to achieve a specific goal,” whether it be reducing nitrogen levels or performing maintenance on small ecological areas. In a nutshell, “designer ecosystems” are created to make the area better than it normally would be; efficient and effective. Restoring ecosystems back to a specific baseline is a stick issue. It’s a lot of money, and even more work. While “designer ecosystems” can be just as time consuming as well as cost inefficient, it seems to be the more practical option. Certain goals may be easier to achieve than restoring an entire piece of land or an entire ecosystem to its pristine condition. Noted expert Margaret Palmer is cited, saying that baselines are of an arbitrary nature and do not take in to account the change of the ecosystem over time. Also, human interference must be taken into account when discussing baselines.It is extremely difficult to restore a specific baseline given the thousands of years of change, thus a “designer ecosystem” is likely the more plausible option. Marris evaluates this process based on a few certain criteria: the goal, the size of the project, the budget, and how much of the ecosystem has already changed.
Chapter 9 of “Rambunctious Garden” discusses various viewpoints of conservationist from around the world and that conservation should exist everywhere, not only in parks designed to conserve. Marris’ primary foci, North America and Europe, both contrast one another in a number of ways. The North American conservationist philosophy presented in the book is focused largely on Yellowstone National Park. The goal, according to Marris is to create more space, or “corridors”, for migration purposes. In Europe, national parks and reserves are often riddled with cattle and sheep that graze the land while other inhabitants, such as the birds mentioned in the book, live off the land. The birds are also used to this open-field type of ecosystem where mostly herbivores live. Marris wants us (mostly Americans) to stop thinking that nature should only be found in national parks or reserves that eventually become a tourist attraction. Rather, humans should make an effort to conserve on a global scale; even if it means planting more trees and plants in your backyard at home. It may not look pretty, but at least the environment will last for that much longer.