Species are a measure of man's freedom: reflections after writing a Red Data Book on African birds

Abstract

The broad vision of the new environmentalist, who seeks to conserve the world's ecosystems for the sake of the human species as well as wildlife, has much to commend it. Beside it, the traditional conservationist's approach, aiming to conserve wildlife for its own sake, seems outmoded. The development of the concept of ecosystem management, however, has been accompanied by other shifts in emphasis. Among them is the idea of wildlife as an economic asset, paying for its own conservation by providing, for example, tourist revenue and pharmaceuticals. This development may seem to be the fulfilment of the dream of those who want to ‘sell’ conservation to those with power over the environment. The author, who has recently completed writing the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book on African birds, offers a personal view of where the new trend may be leading many of the threatened species of the earth.

Beyond value: biodiversity and the freedom of the mind

“…Andrew Balmford, Gay Crowley, Stephen Garnett, Coppelia Hays and Dave Pritchard gave encouragement. Some of the argument here is unoriginal and restates earlier thinking (see Collar, 1986, 1988, 1996). I warmly acknowledge the comments of three referees, of whom one wanted this paper to be published without change, while two proposed substantial revision to encompass many missed references and deeper levels of argument.…”

“…Lincoln Fishpool drew my attention to the book by Steinbeck and the passage from Robbins. Permission to quote Hardin (1968) kindly came from Science , Leopold (1966) from Oxford University Press, Inc., Oates (1998) Collar, 1986Collar, , 1988Collar, , 1996. I warmly acknowledge the comments of three referees, of whom one wanted this paper to be published without change, while two proposed substantial revision to encompass many missed references and deeper levels of argument.…”

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The individual benefits as an individual from his ability to deny the truth even though society as a whole, of which he is a part, suffers … Bureau administrators, trying to evaluate the morality of acts in the total system, are singularly liable to corruption, producing a government by men, not laws (Hardin, 1968).

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“…The point is not a new one, but it is a considerable one: put more explicitly, if the exploitative behaviour of people demanding these last areas is unsustainable, then the measures needed to contain that behaviour may as well be taken now, before the areas are yielded up and lost forever, since their yielding up will only buy a few more years before the measures will be needed anyway (Collar, 1986).…”

Understanding the impacts of ecotourism on biodiversity: a multi- scale, cumulative issue influenced by perceptions and politics

“…Perhaps no greater example of the sentiment highlighted by Collar (1986) is that expressed by tourists who undertake ecotours to Africa to experience great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas) in Bwindi National Park is where tourists go to experience mountain forest and especially the gorilla groups that occur there (Figure 12.1). Kibale National Park is a middle altitude forest site with the main focus being on chimpanzees and birds (Figure 12.2).…”