Which way the future?

Abstract

Just as the principle of uniformitarianism is a fundamental tenet of science, the past experiences of the Field Studies Council provide an insight, and possibly a signpost, to the future. During the last thirty years, there have been significant changes in the numbers and categories of visitor attending the residential Centres. Expansion between 1956 and 1976 was almost entirely due to A‐level courses in biology and geography but in the last ten years there has been considerable diversification. Adult amateur naturalists and younger, pre‐A‐level, school pupils are the obvious growth categories now. In the GCSE examination syllabuses, more than ever before, there is a commitment to ecology and to fieldwork (with the latter compulsory in all Geography syllabuses). Against such a background one might expect an optimistic prediction for the FSC's future. Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, many educationalists promote the view that ecology can be taught in the classroom and that first‐hand observations of animals and plants in an aquarium provide sufficient practical work. There is a growing need for those who believe in the necessity for genuine field observation of the environment, in the environment, to voice their concern at the acceptance of any such alternatives/substitutes. Although environmental awareness has been heightened in recent years one might question whether there has been a concommitant raising of environmental understanding. It is increasingly important that, as the scale and scope of decisions about the environment expand, the level of understanding of those who make decisions (and of those who elect them) should also be raised. It is no longer politic nor wise to accept Montaigne's assertion, “that men are most apt to believe what they least understand”. I suggest that our target for the future be “Breadth with Excellence”. If the FSC can move toward that goal it can face the daunting task of trying to achieve “Environmental Understanding for AH”.