Rethinking the Restoration of Nature

There is an increasing division between nature and wilderness. Perfectly manicured gardens and heavily regulated reserves may represent elements of nature, however, can something so regulated really be described as wild?

There is an unquestionable need for ecological restoration with ecosystem degradation estimated to cost between £1.28-2.88 trillion per year, approximately 7.5% of global GDP. The real question is – "are we protecting nature or simply our conception of it?"

Conservation aims to protect and restore ecosystems from a degraded state to a healthier historical condition; but this requires a desired state as an end goal. In turn posing a challenging question for conservation strategies; by actively maintaining an ecosystem are we preserving a specific community but preventing further development? In a sense, the ecosystem is ‘paused’ with conservation efforts actively maintaining this state through activities such as species population control and landscape management. 

With ongoing environmental degradation at local, regional, and global scales, generational environmental baselines are shifting. Sequential generations observe worse conditions due to persistent degradation - leading to shifting baseline syndrome. With often no clear point in time that represents a ‘natural’ ecosystem, devoid of human interference, conservationist have begun to re-think the way we restore nature - this is called rewilding.

Rather than capturing an ecosystem at one point in time, rewilding aims to restore the ecological processes of an area to allow natural regeneration and succession to occur. This is often achieved by the addition of ecosystem engineers or keystone species (both are organisms that significantly promote ecosystem function), such as apex predators or large herbivores, that have been extirpated or are ecologically extinct.  A passive, hands-off approach can then be taken, as ecosystem stability is increased and fundamental processes are restored. Over time, natural processes will lead to environmental and ecological changes which are reflective of natural ecosystem development. 

“I am drawn to the wild not because it is wild but because it is sensible, logical, ordered, stable, resilient. Wild nature is everything we're struggling to regain." Carl Safina, Ecologist.

Understanding ecological interactions is complex and this poses a challenge for rewilding efforts, but there have been success stories! Perhaps the most famous example of where rewilding has had positive implications is the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the western United States. 

In the late 1920’s wolves were extirpated from Yellowstone leading to a drastic change in the ecosystem dynamics. The loss of wolves resulted in reduced predation and thus an increase in elk populations. An increase in elk populations resulted in over grazing and limited willow establishment and growth, providing insufficient conditions for the survival of Yellowstone's beaver populations. However, when a small number of wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone and left uncontrolled, a top-down trophic cascade was triggered causing ecosystem-wide impacts. An ‘ecology of fear’ reduced elk browsing in open areas, allowing the regrowth of willow trees and consequently the return of the beaver. 

In a rewilding triumph, the wolves helped to reverse Yellowstone degradation and maintain ecosystem diversity, illustrating the success of rewilding as a framework to conserve biodiversity, a hopeful example at a time when humanity’s pressure on global ecosystems continues to mount. 

Route2 delivers unique insights into the total impact of business activities. We offer businesses expert advice and analysis about historical and future performance. Our services (coined Value2Society) strengthen decision making, establish competitive advantage and enhance the value business delivers to society. 

To find out more, email us at info@route2.com or phone +44 (0) 208 878 3941  

Follow our social media to never miss a post:

Featured
The Inequalities of Plastic Waste - Who Should Pay?
The Inequalities of Plastic Waste - Who Should Pay?

Every year, the world produces almost 370 million tonnes of plastic. The UK produces more plastic waste per person than all other countries in the world, bar the USA, equating to 5.2 million tonnes every year - enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times over! With many of us rinsing, sorting and separating our plastics from our cardboards, we naturally assume that our recycling will be taken to a processing plant to be recycled and reused – but is that really the case?

Rethinking the Restoration of Nature
Rethinking the Restoration of Nature

There is an increasing division between nature and wilderness. Perfectly manicured gardens and heavily regulated reserves may represent elements of nature, however, can something so regulated really be described as wild?

Fashion - But At What Cost?
Fashion - But At What Cost?

While for many of us modern slavery is a concept which has been consigned to history, for millions it remains a reality. Modern slavery refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power. According to the International Labour Organisation, 40 million individuals worldwide are subject to modern slavery every single day.

Human Rights - Going Beyond Minimum Safeguards
Human Rights - Going Beyond Minimum Safeguards

When analysing the recent EU regulations on sustainable finance, a recurring and converging theme can be observed alongside the focus on climate and environment – this is human rights due diligence. Human rights due diligence is a way for corporates and investors to proactively manage any potential human rights impacts, within which they are involved.

The Protectors of Our Planet
The Protectors of Our Planet

There are approximately 476 million people who self-identify as indigenous worldwide. Although the indigenous population makes up less than 5% of the world’s total population, they own, occupy or use up to 22% of the global land area, which includes 80% of the world’s biodiversity. For thousands of years indigenous communities have been caretakers of the environment, protecting land from degradation and respecting wildlife; a role which is often overlooked

Into the Blue
Into the Blue

Worldwide, phytoplankton transfers about 10 billion tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean each year. Based on Route2’s preferred social cost of carbon of £61, this results in a yearly societal benefit of £610 billion, in terms of avoided carbon. This indicates the significance and value of phytoplankton within the ocean sink, therefore, improving the capacity and efficacy of this is a priority for sustainability and conservation.

Making Peace with Nature
Making Peace with Nature

What is more valuable, a tree, or its equivalent weight in paper? Is a lake as valuable as its volume in water bottles on supermarket shelves?

The majority of us would not know how to approach an answer to this question. The only form of value we are accustomed to seeing, and therefore the value lens we see the world through, is financial value. Our vision is incomplete, we are colour-blind and all we see is money.

Pollinators Against Pesticides
Pollinators Against Pesticides

Across the world around two million tonnes of pesticides are being used annually, with approximately 85% of all pesticide usage occurring in the agricultural industry. Agriculture uses pesticides to boost productivity and output by controlling for weeds, preventing insect infestations and reducing plant diseases. However, it has been predicted that the costs of pesticides now outweigh the benefits.

Regenerative Farming; A Solution to Save our Soil
Regenerative Farming; A Solution to Save our Soil

Agriculture in developed nations is consolidated around industrial, largescale farms. These farms, which will often grow a limited range of crops or even a single crop (also known as ‘monoculture’), are increasingly responsible for the food that we eat. The advantages of a largescale farm are commonly assumed to be self-evident: consistency of output and economies of scale.

One Giant Cost for Mankind
One Giant Cost for Mankind

Water on the moon looks to be more abundant and accessible than previously thought, which is good news for all those considering a future lunar economy. Lunar water offers the potential of lunar manufactured rocket fuel, which means more efficient space exploration of other heavenly bodies. But before we view the solar system as the next wild west it might be worth reminding ourselves of the real costs of ‘freedom in the commons’ and ensure this understanding shapes our celestial adventures.

Timothy Kwok