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By Erik Meijaard
Conservationists are strange people. We all appear to be highly motivated and ethically driven. But what do we really want? To save the world? To save nature? And what is that supposed to mean?
How to Reach a Lot More People
I often compare conservationists to missionaries. We spread out to all the corners of the world to preach our message. But whereas religions tend to link observance of rules to rewards in a happy after life, that link is a lot vaguer for conservation.
What is our promise? Protect nature and life will be a lot better for you? If only things were as simple as that.
Imagine telling that to a Neanderthaler some 15,000 years ago, just before he was going to be run over by a mammoth. Or to a Punan hunter in Borneo, who asks me why I want to protect the orangutan (a word that literally means "man of the forest" in Malay). Surely, he says, he and his family are the people of the forest, and badly in need of some help.
There is a real need to tighten the link between conservation and human welfare. If we can clarify that link, then our message will not only be clearer but also reach a lot more people.
What Does It Mean For Us?
Because in the end it is all about people. Conservationists and their supporters may think that we do all this work for nature. But nature doesn’t really care. Nature doesn’t do ethics.
And nature doesn’t need saving, especially not because we are part of it. Nature will always be there, either with or without us. The only rule in evolution that really counts is that each individual wants to stay alive.
So we need to get our message right. We should step away from the doom-and-gloom scenarios of missed conservation opportunities. Yes, species are going extinct. Tropical forests are dwindling. Our climate is getting warmer. But what does it mean for humans — for us?
Human Happiness: A New Measure of Conservation Success
Measuring happiness and well-being is a science in itself. It would be great if we could make realistic predictions about what our world will look like in, let’s say, 200 years. And — more importantly — how happy we will be in that world.
This new focus calls for new measures of conservation success. Not just whether we saved the spotted owl or orangutan. But whether saving the forest habitats of those species makes the people of those forests feel really good about living in that environment.
Whether they can continue fishing for plentiful salmon and feel good about their day off in nature. Or whether they make good cash from jungle rubber sustainably planted in orangutan habitat and can send their children to school, improving their chances in life.
If we can convince people about the good conservation does for them, we have won half the battle. So let’s keep it up. Why? Because we can. And because it will give all of us a better world to live in.
Fast-Forward to the Future of Conservation!
Nature picture credits (left to right): © Jez O'Hare (Children in Komodo National Park, Indonesia); © Mel White (Erik Meijaard)
