🚀 go-pugleaf

 > The goals of conservation biology are not to PRESERVE but to
> CONSERVE biodiversity (or what ever you chooose to call it).  I
> believe there is a key distiction.  Preservation is perhaps a
> unrealistic ideal in which biodiversity is protected from any
> impact (i.e not to be used by humans, particularly for resources).
> While conservation strives to maintain and manage biodiversity for
> many uses (i.e. Recreation, Hunting/fishing, Timber extraction, and
> wildlife protection).

Perhaps this is dwelling on semantics a little, but I think
several important distinctions need to be made. Firstly, the idea of
conservation is surely to manage biodiversity in _face_ of pressures such
as hunting/fishing, timber etc, rather than their management _for_
such activities.

Secondly, the distinction between PRESERVE and CONSERVE is an
important one.  Preservation implies some sort of exclusionary
philosophy in which the natural environment is protected in a
pristine state, often assumed to be free from human perturbation.
Particularly in the developing world, such philosophies are becoming
increasingly difficult to justify and the move should be, and is
indeed being made, toward philosophies which CONSERVE nature through
integrated approaches toward land use, wildlife utilisation etc.
Such philosophies go more toward recognising the fact that we are an
integral part of the environment, and that to ensure the survival of
any species we should aim toward co-existance within some
sustainable framework, rather than assuming stewardship over all that
we purvey.

Semantics ?

Marcus.

Marcus Wishart                       /)
Freshwater Research Unit            //'        Phone: 021) 650 3638
Zoology Department                 //'
University of Cape Town         8<=]>======\    Fax:  021) 650 3301
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