Rambunctious Garden- Chapter 8 and 9

In chapter 8 of the “Rambunctious Garden,” Emma Marris poses a discussion about Designer Ecosystems, which are ecosystems that are created and designed in order to reach a certain goal and purpose. They can recreate the ecosystem in a way that serves a certain purpose or goal that they want to accomplish. This differs from the method she mentioned in a previous chapter in which ecosystems are constructed in order to mimic how the environment looked in the past. Instead of trying to create an artificial, historic ecosystem conservationists attempt to create ecosystems that have a functional purpose and usefulness. For instance, Marris mentions that some of the goals that can be accomplished include “nitrogen reduction, sediment capture, or the maintenance of one or a small number of named species” (125). Instead of focusing on the past and on how ecosystems used to look like traditional conservationists, ecologists who use this method turn their attention to creating a more successful and sustainable future. Unlike modern efforts that attempt to recreate nature as it looked before human interference and development, these ecologists understand that nature is not as it was thousands of years ago and came to terms with the fact that ecosystems have changed. They know that it is not possible to restore nature to pristine and historic conditions and I believe that once we fully understand that we will be able to turn our backs on the past and look to the future. Many species have changed and it is important that we focus on ways that will allow these species to thrive and be able to sustain themselves in their new environments.
In chapter 9 titled “Conservation Everywhere” Marris focuses her attention on promoting the idea that through the methods that she mentions throughout her book nature has the ability to exist everywhere. She attempts to instill in her reader that fact that we must make “the most out of every scrap of land and water.” She points out that we must strive to put conservation in the forefront of our minds and try to preserve nature everywhere, whether it is in industrial areas or our own backyards. One main point that she mentions is that nature and industry can coexist and that we should make almost every place the breeding grounds for nature. No matter where we are we should strive to try to promote the existence of nature and the emergence of new ecosystems. This relates to what she discusses in her beginning chapters, when she introduces the concept of a “Rambunctious Garden.” Like she says in her earlier chapter, nature is all around us and whether it is in a park, our backyards or right next to a fast food joint we must try to strive for the conservation of ecosystems and the coexistence of nature and man. I believe that this idea would provide for a greater human appreciation for nature and their surroundings and although it wouldn’t solve the entire problem, it can act as a guiding step to create a world where man and nature can coexist.