Naturalness Research Paper

Naturalness - Is this a valid target for conservation under conditions of global change?

Nivya Thomas

M.SC. Environmental Science

Reg. no.: 15203947

Natural is a word with multiple meanings, used by different people in very different ways, and each one with varied definitions. Naturalness is a condition imagined by many scientists to persist over time in the absence of human intervention. Scientists, managers, and conservationists assumed that natural conditions could be preserved and that doing so would assure long-term conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. Our ecosystem is in a state of constant dynamic change and recognition of the dynamics of natural systems raise questions about what naturalness even is. In recent decades, with

The ambiguous term “natural” is defined in a variety of ways, (1) naturalness as that which is part of nature, (2) naturalness as a contrast to artificiality, (3) naturalness as an historical independence from human actions, and (4) naturalness as possession of certain properties. As a step to clarify this debate and the interpretation of the term “natural,” few management strategies have to be considered– ecosystem preservation, ecosystem restoration, and ecosystem engineering – with respect to the naturalness of their outcomes. In other words, we can resist the change occurring in our ecosystem via ecological restoration or we can accept the change occurring in our environment and allow matters to drift as they may, or we can guide change through proactive transformation of conditions in protected areas and in areas that require immediate and swift attention. What we cannot do is prevent change and cling to outdated and often confused ideals and old definitions of naturalness. Scientists are not saying that the concept of nature is obsolete, the new ideas and arguments simply imply that it is no longer sufficient to carry out conservation and restoration with the ideology of restoring naturalness to the ecosystem. Rather, what we need now is an

This unease can cause the argument and ideas of conservation to be conveyed in a wrong and unconvincing way. This now gives rise to the question whether we should continue using the words nature and naturalness in the context of conservation? The answer is yes, have a long way to go in recognizing and consciously maintaining the ecological relationships on which human culture depends. The concept and experience of nature are needed to make these relationships more apparent to people living increasingly urbanized lives in what they think of as culture, a sphere(world) often but mistakenly seen as of exclusively human construction. In short, the more we think we have nothing to do with nature and its qualities of naturalness, and the more we think we can be independent of these terms and what they mean, the more we need them. Many argue that for effective conservation strategies on has to leave the idea of nature and naturalness behind, but I think not; we have to manage our parks and other protected areas with more than naturalness in mind, but at the same time we should also keep in mind about the dynamic conditions within nature and its adaptation to the constant climate change. Thus keeping the whole idea of naturalness of the past and moving towards the evolution and adaptations in