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As humanity presses down inexorably on the natural world, people debate the extent to which we can save the Earth's millions of different species without sacrificing human economic welfare. But is this argument wise? Must the human and natural worlds be adversaries? In this book, ecologist Michael Rosenzweig finds that ecological science actually rejects such polarization. Instead it suggests that, to be successful, conservation must discover how we can blend a rich natural world into the world of economic activity. This revolutionary, common ground between development and conservation is called reconciliation ecology: creating and maintaining species-friendly habitats in the very places where people live, work, or play. The book offers many inspiring examples of the good results already achieved. The Nature Conservancy, for instance, has a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense, with more than 200 conservation projects taking place on more than 170 bases in 41 states. In places such as Elgin Air Force Base, the human uses-testing munitions, profitable timbering and recreation--continue, but populations of several threatened species on the base, such as the long-leaf pine and the red-cockaded woodpecker, have been greatly improved. The Safe Harbor strategy of the Fish & Wildlife Service encourages private landowners to improve their property for endangered species, thus overcoming the unintended negative aspects of the Endangered Species Act. And Golden Gate Park, which began as a system of sand dunes, has become, through human effort, a world of ponds and shrubs, waterfowl and trees. Rosenzweig shows that reconciliation ecology is the missing tool of conservation, the practical, scientifically based approach that, when added to the rest, will solve the problem of preserving Earth's species.
E-Book Content
Win-Win Ecology: How the Earth’s Species Can Survive in the Midst of Human Enterprise
MICHAEL L. ROSENZWEIG
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
WIN-WIN ECOLOGY
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WIN-WIN ECOLOGY How the Earth’s Species Can Survive in the Midst of Human Enterprise
MICHAEL L. ROSENZWEIG
2003
Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Copyright © 2003 by Michael Rosenzweig Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rosenzweig, Michael L. Win-win ecology : how the earth’s species can survive in the midst of human enterprise / Michael L. Rosenzweig p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 0-19-515604-8 1. Nature conservation—Economic aspects. 2. Biological diversity conservation—Economic aspects. 3. Human ecology. I. Title. QH75 .R69 2003 333.95'16—dc 21 2002029281
135798642 Printed in the United States of America on recycled, acid-free paper.
Dedicated to Gordon Orians the very model of a compleat ecologist
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Contents
Preamble CHAPTER
ix
1
Reconciliation Ecology 1 CHAPTER
2
Landscape Architecture for the Third Millennium 11 CHAPTER
3
Prometheus in the Pinelands 27 CHAPTER
4
Making Money 39 CHAPTER
5
Hidden Costs 55 A Personal Witness 65
CHAPTER