Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World“Remarkable . . . Emma Marris explores a paradox that is increasingly vexing the science of ecology, namely that the only way to have a pristine wilderness is to manage it intensively.” -The Wall Street Journal A paradigm shift is roiling the environmental world. For decades people have unquestioningly accepted the idea that our goal is to preserve nature in its pristine, pre-human state. But many scientists have come to see this as an outdated dream that thwarts bold new plans to save the environment and prevents us from having a fuller relationship with nature. Humans have changed the landscapes they inhabit since prehistory, and climate change means even the remotest places now bear the fingerprints of humanity. Emma Marris argues convincingly that it is time to look forward and create the "rambunctious garden," a hybrid of wild nature and human management. In this optimistic book, readers meet leading scientists and environmentalists and visit imaginary Edens, designer ecosystems, and Pleistocene parks. Marris describes innovative conservation approaches, including rewilding, assisted migration, and the embrace of so-called novel ecosystems. Rambunctious Garden is short on gloom and long on interesting theories and fascinating narratives, all of which bring home the idea that we must give up our romantic notions of pristine wilderness and replace them with the concept of a global, half-wild rambunctious garden planet, tended by us. |
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Aldo Leopold American anthropogenic assisted migration aurochs Australia baseline Bialowieza biodiversity birds bison butterflies climate change conservation conservationists defined definition Desert Solitaire difficult diversity dominated Donlan Duwamish Duwamish River Earth ecoe ecologists Ecology ecosystem services elephants Europe European extinct farms field filled find fire first fish five forest Garry oak genetic global goal going grass grazing grow habitat Hawaii Hawaiian Hellmann herbivores historical humans hundred Ibid idea introduced species Invasion Biology invasive species islands killed land landscape Leopold live look Lugo mammals managed Mascaro megafauna moving species Muir National Park native plants native species nature North America novel ecosystems numbers O’Neill Oostvaardersplassen Pacific percent plants and animals Pleistocene populations predators preserve pristine wilderness protected areas rambunctious garden range researchers restoration rewilding river Sand County Almanac says scientific scientists seedlings seeds soil strawberry guava things tion torreya trees University wild Wildlife Yellowstone