¶ … Conservationists
What do you take to be the main argument in the article?
The main argument in the article is that the groups which were started in order to conserve and protect the environment have become such large entities that they are in fact harming other people, such as indigenous human populations. The conservationist groups rarely if ever consider the indigenous people when making plans and in fact are usually responsible for taking communities off of native lands for protection of the environment.
How does the author deal with one of the following concepts: nature, society, or power?
The author deals with how society and nature are interacting with one another. The conservationist groups want to protect the environment and the physical landscape. In doing this, they are overlooking the indigenous populations who reside on the lands. The power over these lands is wrenched away from the government and now resides in the conservationist groups. The power granted to them by their status as an environmental organization replaces logic with an innate desire for additional power to make decisions about the lands.
3. Write one question that occurs to you when you read the article (e.g. something that you did not understand or something the author missed).
How many people have been removed because of the conservationists and is the harm that they have done more than the positives of their efforts?
4. How does the article relate to your own life?
Conservation is an important part of life because it is incumbent on each person to do what they can to protect the earth. However, in protecting the environment, we need to be wary of the power we wield and what we may be doing to our fellow men.
Works Cited:
Chapin, Mac. "A Challenge to Conservationists." World Watch. World Watch Institute. 2004.
17-31. Print.
