The terms "conservation" and "gardening" do not cover the full range and intent of human manipulations of natural systems if you consider such terms as preservation, restoration, mitigation, and enhancement. Nevertheless, and to answer Jason's questions, I would consider "gardening" to be relatively high investment and continuing management with the intent of achieving and maintaining a predefined stable and productive state, measuring production in terms of values such as timber, grazing, botanical displays, an attractively landscaped pond, etc. I would consider "conservation" to be investing and managing with the goal of achieving the system's self-maintaining natural state, e.g., mature and relatively stable forests, shrub-grassland steppes, wetlands. This may involve intensive first steps such as invasive removal and native replanting, stream diversion and restoration, or woodland thinning. It may also entail subsequent interventions such as invasives control and controlled burns. In my view tree farms, arboretums and game farms are "gardening" -- but so is the California Condor restoration effort in its present state. "Conservation" can be anything from its popular definition of "wise use" to the strict non-interventionist "let nature take its course" (which may require centuries to achieve any sort of balanced state, if it ever does). Warren W. Aney Senior Wildlife Ecologist Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 539-1009
-----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Jason Hernandez Sent: Monday, 17 January, 2011 17:09 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Conservation or just gardening? This question is inspired by a conversation with a former employer. When do our interventions cease to be conservation and become gardening? For the sake of argument, I was taking the purist position: that ideally, we want to be able to put a fence around a natural area and walk away, letting nature manage it. But as my employer rightly pointed out, that is just not a realistic expectation in the 21st century, what with invasive species, systemic pollution, human pressures on surrounding areas, and countless other factors which will not go away. But of course, she also knew that there is a degree of intervention which crosses the line from conservation to gardening, that is, caring for a population that no longer participates in its ecosystem processes. There is, of course, a continuum of interventions. Removal of invasive competitors is a relatively light intervention; growing seedlings in a greenhouse and then planting them out is more intensive; maintaining an in vitro germplasm collection still more intensive. Are there any recognized criteria for determining the boundary between conservation and gardening? And if a species is beyond saving with conservation, how worthwhile is it to save that species with gardening? Can we determine when a species' only hope is gardening? Jason Hernandez Biological Science Technician, USDA Forest Service
