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A Rocha 2003-2005 Conservation Science Review
ForewordWe are glad to present the first Review of A Rocha’s work in conservation science around the world. The stories from eleven countries in four different continents celebrate a small but illustrative cross-section of the tremendous diversity, beauty and importance of habitats and wildlife to be found on our planet. They also bring within one set of covers a snapshot of the remarkable cultural and social diversity of approach made possible by Christian communities responding to the current crisis that these same habitats and species face. Strong relationships developed within this worldwide family of A Rocha initiatives are bringing real benefits as methodologies and lessons learned in the field are exchanged. This report aims further to contribute to this process, especially as we seek also to partner with an increasing range of organisations around common conservation goals. The projects are summarised here within the themes of priority species, species survey and monitoring, ecosystems and conservation. We believe each area is important within an overall, coherent approach. Such an approach works outwards from urgent cases of a species decline, through wider-scale monitoring of change and ecosystem function, to application of the knowledge gained into practical action, to protect intact or restore damaged natural areas. This outworking continues still further in other aspects of A Rocha’s work not directly reported on here: the dissemination of results into policy formulation and environmental education programmes. Between them, these areas seek to bring the relevance of nature conservation to decision-makers and all stakeholders in nature conservation – ultimately every man, woman and child in the world. Understanding the value of ecosystems The period reported upon in this Review has been unprecedented in the development of our understanding of the current global ecological crisis. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, initiated in 2001 and published in 2005, represents the landmark reference in this respect. It reports conclusively, for example, on how the distribution of plants and animals on Earth is becoming more homogenous due to the introduction, deliberate or not, of species out of their natural ranges. It shows too that between 10 and 30% of mammal, bird and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction. For this latter group, this represents over 1800 frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians that might be lost to us for ever. The 2010 target to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss looks unattainable with current tools, policies and levels of commitment. As starkly put in the influential paper {The Death of Environmentalism: ‘We will never be able to turn things around as long as we understand our failures as essentially tactical and make proposals that are essentially technical.’ So what can turn things round? The period covered by this report has seen a vivid debate emerge on questions of values and their relevance to the urgent need to develop sustainable societies. The underlying belief commitments of different societies are increasingly recognised as profoundly important. An emphasis on ‘ecosystem services’ as the way of explaining the ‘value of nature’, is one demonstration of a values-driven approach to conservation that is currently very topical. Others, such as the value of nature to the human spirit, or for leisure opportunities in wild places, are the common coin of the popular magazines which mobilise the wider public for nature conservation. Looking at underlying beliefs Furthermore, within the professional world of conservation biology, it has been argued recently that western democracies’ policies on issues such as climate change or biodiversity loss can be driven in part by belief considerations which are hostile to the interests of environmental study. One of the more eloquent expressions of such concern in 2005 was the letter by David Orr published by the journal Conservation Biology. The more intemperate and ill-informed assertions of the letter received a reasoned reply in a later issue of the journal that was authored by more than twenty professional conservation biologists who are also practising Christians. The debate serves to illustrate the vital relevance – and not just to the Christian community – of a proper understanding of a biblical approach to scientific methodology in general, and to the work of conservation biology more specifically. Making a distinctive difference This leads to the final possibility that is raised in an embryonic form by this Review. As a summary of worldwide field projects undertaken by Christians, it is a first. These projects have been undertaken in very close cooperation with communities that share the core beliefs of the A Rocha field teams, but who have previously had little commitment to conservation. As time goes on, we may hope that the advantages of this interaction might lead to new approaches to conservation studies. This will be of value to all those concerned in the critical situation faced by many ecosystems around the world. Such a contribution has long been made by Christian organisations and researchers in the fields of medicine and education, but is truly at its beginning in this urgent and vital task of ensuring the well-being of our natural environment.
Will Simonson, Scientific Director A Rocha International Contents
This web page only shows the Foreword and Contents of the Review. You may download the full report in PDF format (application/pdf, 14.5 MB, info). |
