Ebook: Protected Land: Disturbance, Stress, and American Ecosystem Management

Since John Muir and Gifford Pinchot championed the protection of land a century ago, ecologists and conservationists have struggled with simple questions of ecological management: exactly what aspects of our natural resources should we protect, and how should we protect them? At the heart of this debate lies the concept of the ecosystem—a term that has ironically grown more difficult to define as our understanding of ecological relationships has evolved. In this compelling book, Doug traces the notion of the ecosystem from its early application in American land conservation through the modern approach to natural resources management. Doug makes the case that the classic ecosystem concept is as deeply ingrained in the American conservation movement as it is deeply flawed. As a result, many present-day land protection efforts are fixated on the preservation of an ideal set of species as a coherent and sustainable unit, even as ecological research increasingly suggests that no such unit exists. Through critical analysis of ecosystem management in theory and practice, Protected Land presents an argument for re-framing the human relationship with ecological systems to embrace, rather than suppress, the forces of change.

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This is a book about ecosystems: the ways in which we perceive them, conceptualize them,protect them, and manipulate them. Ecosystems have been given considerable attention inrecent literature, and with good reason. Our growing comprehension of irreplaceable andimperiled ecosystem services has made it clear that we are in the midst of an ecological crisis.In response, various organizations, agencies, and individuals have dedicated themselves to thepreservation, restoration, and maintenance of ecological systems. The United States is a worldleader in this regard, building upon the legacy of giants like Thoreau, Muir, and Leopold.And yet, even as we scramble to rehabilitate and sustain ecosystems, the debate on their naturecontinues. In one corner are proponents of holism—those that see ecosystems as definableunits with recognizable and regenerative stable states.