An article in last week's Science speaks very much in the language of Shifting Baselines -- urging scientists to accept that there are no longer any pristine ecosystems, and to accept the functional role of humans in all ecosystem dynamics. Here's an excerpt of an article reporting on the study:
An article to appear in the May 28 issue of "Science" calls for a sea change in how scientists study nature and the practices that are used sustain the environment. It's a plan for cooperation between science and technology that will be "music to some folks' ears and blasphemy to others," according to University of Maryland biology professor Margaret Palmer, lead author of the paper.
"We can't save nature just to save nature any more," says Palmer. "We have to figure out ways to meet human needs while conserving life's support systems."
The article, "Ecology for a Crowded Planet," written by a committee of the Ecological Society of America, advocates a radical new approach to environmental science - shifting from a focus on undisturbed ecosystems to one that acknowledges humans as components of ecosystems.
Posted by Randy Olson at June 3, 2004 12:07 PM