In chapter 10 of Rambunctious Garden, Emma Marris discusses seven different ecological goals. These seven goals are protecting the rights of other species, protecting megafauna, slowing the rate of extinctions, protecting genetic diversity, defending biodiversity, maximizing ecosystem services, and protecting the beauty of nature. Many of these goals conflict with each other and in order to get the best possible scenario for the environment, there must be a balance. In addition, there must be collaboration between landowners, governments, and other interest groups when deciding goals for a specific ecosystem. This can be extremely difficult and cost a tremendous amount of money.
I think the first goal, protecting the rights of other species, can be bias. This is because humans do not consider all species equal. Humans look at some species, such as exotic mammals and beautiful plants, as having more intrinsic value than species such as mosses and shrubs. Therefore, they are more likely to fight for the rights of the species they find more intrinsically valuable. This might mean intentionally killing one species in order to save another. Another problem with this goal is that it will limit the use of the land. This could hinder human growth and development tremendously.
The second goal, protecting charismatic megafauna, also has its problems. Although this goal will save megafauna, it might lead to the extinction of other species, such as smaller mammals and plants. Also, it might lead to an overpopulation of megafauna, which can destroy an ecosystem. This has been shown by elephants in certain parts of Africa.
The third goal, slowing the rate of extinctions, also has flaws. Like goal one, this goal revolves around human bias. It is financially impossible to protect every endangered species, so certain species will be protected, while others will not. Also, if ecologists weigh every species equally, some of the species that humans consider the most intrinsically valuable might not be able to be saved. Finally, if species are brought into captivity but go extinct in the wild, they will have no home to be released to. Therefore, although species can be saved, there is no way to save ecosystems.
I believe goal four, protecting genetic diversity, is one of the better goals. This is because genetic diversity is extremely important since it shows how different organisms have evolved. By protecting genetic diversity, ecologists are able to preserve unique organisms that are endemic to particular regions of the world. However, this goal also involves bias because humans must determine the organisms that are the most important to save. Nevertheless, I believe more money should be devoted to protecting genetic diversity.
Goal five, defending biodiversity, is another goal that is ideal. However, it has its flaws. Defending biodiversity on a global scale requires a tremendous amount of time and money. Since there is not enough money to help every ecosystem, some ecosystems will be chosen over others. Also, defending biodiversity might require killing some invasive species that humans consider intrinsically valuable, such as cats.
Goal six, maximizing ecosystem services, also has many flaws. Since the most diverse ecosystems often do not produce the most services, people who focus solely on this goal might decrease biodiversity in order to increase services. Another problem with ecosystem services is that people might exploit them in order to increase profits. For example, members of the timber industry might destroy an ecosystem so they can plant trees that will be used for wood.
Goal seven, protecting the beauty of nature, is definitely the most important goal to me. I think we need to have parks and islands that are complete wilderness. These areas can act as an escape from the stresses of urban life. However, I also believe we must change our perception of what nature is and not only focus on “pristine areas.” Every aspect of nature can be considered beautiful, as long as the person looks deep enough and understands nature’s true value.
I agree with Marris that different goals have to be utilized in different ecosystems. Ecologists must determine the best set of goals for a particular area and allocate funds depending on these goals. I also agree with Marris that humans must manage nature. If humans do not preserve nature, economic interests will prevail and biodiversity will continue to decrease.
Rambunctious Garden was a fascinating book that enlightened me on many key areas of ecological debate. The book definitely has made me look at nature in a new light and made me better appreciate my surroundings. After reading the book, I am more aware of the problems that ecosystems face and will do my best to address these problems any way I can.
