Beyond Naturalness
Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change
The central concept guiding the management of parks and wilderness over the past century has been “naturalness”—to a large extent the explicit purpose in establishing these special areas was to keep them in their “natural” state. But what does that mean, particularly as the effects of stressors such as habitat fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, pollution, invasive species, and climate change become both more pronounced and more pervasive?
Beyond Naturalness brings together leading scientists and policymakers to explore the concept of naturalness, its varied meanings, and the extent to which it provides adequate guidance regarding where, when, and how managers should intervene in ecosystem processes to protect park and wilderness values. The main conclusion is the idea that naturalness will continue to provide an important touchstone for protected area conservation, but that more specific goals and objectives are needed to guide stewardship.
The issues considered in Beyond Naturalness are central not just to conservation of parks, but to many areas of ecological thinking—including the fields of conservation biology and ecological restoration—and represent the cutting edge of discussions of both values and practice in the twenty-first century. This book offers excellent writing and focus, along with remarkable clarity of thought on some of the difficult questions being raised in light of new and changing stressors such as global environmental climate change.
David N. Cole and Laurie Yung
Chapter 2. The Trouble with Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Goals
Gregory H. Aplet and David N. Cole
PART I. THE CHANGING CONTEXT OF PARK AND WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP
Chapter 3. Evolving Ecological Understandings: The Implications of Ecosystem Dynamics
Richard J. Hobbs, Erika S. Zavaleta, David N. Cole, and Peter S. White
Chapter 4. Shifting Environmental Foundations: The Unprecedented and Unpredictable Future
Nathan L. Stephenson, Constance I. Millar, and David N. Cole
Chapter 5. Changing Policies and Practices: The Challenge of Managing for Naturalness
Laurie Yung, David N. Cole, David M. Graber, David J. Parsons, and Kathy A. Tonnessen
PART II. APPROACHES TO GUIDE PROTECTED AREA CONSERVATION
Chapter 6. Let It Be: A Hands-Off Approach to Preserving Wildness in Protected Areas
Peter Landres
Chapter 7. Ecological Integrity: A Framework for Ecosystem-Based Management
Stephen Woodley
Chapter 8. Historical Fidelity: Maintaining Legacy and Connection to Heritage
David N. Cole, Eric S. Higgs, and Peter S. White
Chapter 9. Resilience Frameworks: Enhancing the Capacity to Adapt to Change
Erika S. Zavaleta and F. Stuart Chapin III
PART III. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING NEW APPROACHES
Chapter 10. Objectives, Priorities, and Triage: Lessons Learned from Invasive Species Management
John M. Randall
Chapter 11. Responding to Climate Change: A Toolbox of Management Strategies
David N. Cole, Constance I. Millar, and Nathan L. Stephenson
Chapter 12. Conservation at Large Scales: Systems of Protected Areas and Protected Areas in the Matrix
Peter S. White, Laurie Yung, David N. Cole, and Richard J. Hobbs
Chapter 13. Planning in the Context of Uncertainty: Flexibility for Adapting to Change
F. Stuart Chapin III, Erika S. Zavaleta, Leigh A. Welling, Paul Deprey, and Laurie Yung
Chapter 14. Wild Design: Principles to Guide Interventions in Protected Areas
Eric S. Higgs and Richard J. Hobbs
Chapter 15. A Path Forward: Conserving Protected Areas in the Context of Global Environmental Change
Laurie Yung, David N. Cole, and Richard J. Hobbs
Contributors
Index
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