Description
Book SynopsisThis book provides a review of the multitude of conservation concepts, both from a scientific, philosophical, and social science perspective, asking how we want to shape our relationships with nature as humans, and providing guidance on which conservation approaches can help us to do this.
Nature conservation is a contested terrain and there is not only one idea about what constitutes conservation but many different ones, which sometimes are conflicting. Employing a conceptual and historical analysis, this book sorts and interprets the differing conservation concepts, with a special emphasis on narrative analysis as a means for describing humannature relationships and for linking conservation science to practice and to society at large. Case studies illustrate the philosophical issues and help to analyse major controversies in conservation biology. While the main focus is on Western ideas of conservation, the book also touches upon non-Western, including indigenous, concepts.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Situating conservation: definitions, origins, and context
3. Analysing conservation concepts
4. Western and non-Western ideas of nature and nature conservation
5. Moving forward: which conservation concepts for which purposes?
6. Conclusions and outlook
