Defenders Magazine
Get Defenders Headlines
Get the latest wildlife conservation news and information... right when we post it online.
Defenders Magazine
Defenders View: The Natural World Needs Citizen-Conservationists
To be a conservationist in this day can mean many things—a lover of wild creatures and the places that sustain them; a gardener making a place for wildlife in the back yard; a student of endangered species and habitats; a supporter of groups such as Defenders of Wildlife. But perhaps the most important title a conservationist can hold is the simple one of “citizen.”
We associate good citizenship with our human community and nation, but seldom link it to the natural world. However, the great American conservationist Aldo Leopold encouraged us to recognize that in a very real way—the web of life connects us all—we are all “citizens” of the natural world, and as such should have “respect” for the natural community as a whole. Clearly this is a view that goes well beyond simply appreciating wild places as refuges from the hectic pace of modern life.
What should being a citizen of the natural world and having respect for it entail? I suggest that today it means, first and foremost, recognizing that the natural world is under serious attack and needs all of us as active, engaged citizens to offer assistance. It means recognizing that our air, water, wildlife and public lands are being victimized as they have not been for decades by unsustainable commercial exploitation—and doing what we can, where we can, to combat this onslaught.
Thankfully there are many good corporate citizens in commercial America. But we would be foolish not to acknowledge that there are also some rapacious oil, gas and mining companies, pesticide manufacturers and timber firms that see today’s political situation in Washington, D.C., as offering a great opportunity to roll back decades of conservation progress so they can develop even more of our ever-shrinking wildlife habitat. They know that there’s no going back once an ancient forest is cut or an oil derrick is erected on fragile public lands. They know that now is their best chance to a pry open the door to America’s pristine wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
But such an unsustainable and unwise assault on the natural world is not supported by the majority of Americans. Poll after poll shows that the clear majority wants endangered wildlife and wild places protected. We want clean air and water for our children and our families, and for all citizens of the natural world. And we want a government that reflects our conservation values and will stand against—not assist—the special interests whose proposals could ravage the natural world. Why is there such a gap between the conservation policies we want from our government and what it is giving us? George Bernard Shaw said democracy “ensures that we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”
Well, we deserve better. And to get it, it is time for us to hold our government accountable, by speaking clearly and forcefully to our elected officials, as informed, engaged and effective conservationists and citizens. It is time to become informed on how our elected officials are dealing with the major issues. It is time to write to them, visit their offices and attend their town-hall meetings to make our voices heard. It is time to register to vote and at all levels hold our elected officials accountable at the ballot box.
With this kind of effort, and by working together, we can make a difference—a difference that produces: cleaner air and water; protected wetlands, national forests, parks and refuges; and more abundant wildlife. A difference that resonates through all of our communities, natural and human, and echoes down through the decades as a legacy we can be proud to leave our children and grandchildren.
The natural world needs many things to sustain it. But what it needs most right now is citizens; active, committed people who are willing to take a few minutes to make a big difference in the world—citizen-conservationists, hopefully just like you.
