Perceptions about Nature 29/08/2018 Perceptions about Nature Freerk Wiersum and Gerard Verschoor

What is nature? Nature as an ecological object (Semi-)natural ecosystem Spontaneous development No human impact Ecologically-defined types of nature Nature as a social construction What people see around them and experience as (almost) untouched by men Images of nature

Nature-Culture dichotomy as central dogma in western culture 29/08/2018 nonhumans humans Nature Culture dichotomy

But still variable meanings of Nature 29/08/2018 Nature as ecosystem Wilderness Equilibrium system Non-equilibrium system Nature as biodiversity Nature as Arcadia

Nature as a ecosystem (1) 29/08/2018 Hierarchy of organization Principle of integrative levels Cycles of energy and material Ideal example: the wilderness

Ecosystems as predictable and ultimately stable systems Succession Equilibrium 29/08/2018

Nature as a non-equilibrium system Variability in time & space complex dynamics, uncertainty, surprise

Nature as biodiversity 29/08/2018 Diversity of life Hierarchy of organization Landscapes Species Genes Measurable units But also metaphor for threatened species

Nature as Arcadia Opposite from ‘resourcism’ 29/08/2018 Opposite from ‘resourcism’ Partnership between nature and people Stewardship over nature ‘Religious’ veneration for all natural things Romantic traditions Arcadian landscapes from past centuries Holistic relation between indigenous people and nature

Partnership with Nature

Alternative meaning: Nature as resource 29/08/2018 sustenance base: fulfilment material needs ‘unlimited bounty’ for utilitarian capitalism 1970’s: sustainable conservation

Nature as resource living space living space supply depot waste 29/08/2018 living space living space supply depot waste repository supply depot waste repository global carrying capacity

Nature as resource Corporate views of natural resources 29/08/2018 Corporate views of natural resources Commoditization of natural resources Privatization of natural resources

Problems with dualist & materialist views 29/08/2018 What about non-western views about Nature? Perspectives of different main religions on Nature Is this a problem? Yes, because No adequate understanding of manifold interactions between various cultures and different forms of nature (spiritual, ritual)

Theories beyond Nature-Culture dichotomy (1) 29/08/2018 Co-evolution biological evolution, comparison of human & nonhuman behaviour, process of hominisation relation organism/environment reciprocal, not one-way

Co-evolution: Nature as hybrid networks

Theories beyond the Nature-Culture dichotomy (2) 29/08/2018 The first Great Divide: Internal Nature Society natures/ societies ‘Them’ ‘Us’ The second Great Divide: External

More than ever: Nature as something made 29/08/2018 For some “end” of Nature question: how to defend “pristine” Nature For others humanity’s relationship with Nature subverts dualism human intervention not by definition “unnatural” question: how are social natures transformed, by whom, for whose benefit, and with what social and ecological consequences

Conclusion Nature as something imagined & real; 29/08/2018 Nature as something imagined & real; external yet made; outside history but fiercely contested at every turn; everywhere and nowhere

29/08/2018 Break! © Wageningen UR

Gerard Verschoor and Freerk Wiersum 29/08/2018 People as ‘wrong doers’ or ‘do-gooders’ The role of people in narratives about the relationship between people and their environment Gerard Verschoor and Freerk Wiersum

Two contrasting narratives on impact of man on nature People as wrong doers People as do-gooders

People as ‘wrong doers’ Self-interested people rule, sometimes in despotic manner, over nature Overexploitation of natural resources People easily spoil nature People unduly influence nature as a non-equilibrium system Degradation of natural resources

Nature: a resource to be used at will by by mankind

Common negative impact of mankind on ecosystems 29/08/2018 Loss of biodiversity Loss of ecological integrity

Theorised negative impact of man on nature 29/08/2018 Eco-scarcity and the limits to growth Malthus: human populations grow out of proportion ‘Tragedy of the commons’ Hardin: It makes sense for individual people to individually overuse communal resources

People as ‘do-gooders’ Alternative theories on harmonious relations between man and nature ‘Deep ecology’ People should respect nature for its intrinsic value The ‘noble savage’

Deep ecology from anthropocentrism to biocentrism

Deep ecology: problems involved 29/08/2018 Emphasis on protection of ‘unspoiled nature’ No consideration of ‘real problems’ Protection of ‘noble savages’

“The Once and Future Resource Managers” (WWF) The “noble savage” “The Once and Future Resource Managers” (WWF)

Reality or stereotype? The Noble Savage But also the Ignoble Savage Stereotype for members of native tribal groups living in harmony with nature Based on romantic association emphasizing the holistic lifestyles of nature-dwelling natives But also the Ignoble Savage Stereotype (from the past?) for people from tribal groups characterized by menacing malignancy: fiercy fighters, blood-thirsty cannibalists

Indigenous people as ‘noble savages’? A new romanticism? of people in urbanized areas a nostalgic interpretation that at least some people are still living in harmony with nature A reinvented history of politically-aware people? fighting for their human rights of self-determination striving to regain control over ancestral lands

Conclusion Narratives on people – nature relations Contrasting narratives Changing narratives Narratives often underpinned by theories Theories based on paradigms

29/08/2018 Thank You! © Wageningen UR