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Water World
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I guess a big part of the reason why the idea of these parks bugs me is because they seem to be strongly rooted in the myth of our dominion over nature. They seem to reinforce the idea that we are somehow masters of all we survey rather than being part of a complex, dynamic system. At the risk of sounding like a hippy myself, it's time we abandoned the myth of control and change to a more integrative perspective.
I also completely agree with your comment that it feels very much like treating the symptom rather than the cause. These megafauna didn't go extinct by accident, and if we ever want them back we need to address some very complex and deep-seated issues. not only with regards to our impact on the environment, but also, without wanting to sound too hippy, our psychological relationship with it.
I was also a bit concerned by the idea of ecological history parks in "economically depressed parts areas of the North American plains". I understand the motivation and I see that there could be potential benefits, but the 'economically depressed' part brings a class aspect into it that makes me wary. Will the people in these areas actually benefit from re-wilding or will they just be further marginalized to assuage the conscience of others who might economically secure but are often environmentally catastrophic?
Sorry if this comment comes off as cynical. I'm not actually that negative; I just like stirring up discussion. I really enjoyed the post! :)
As for Monbiot, I agree we need people who will bring these subjects to the foreground and try to rally support and action towards environmental causes, I just felt it was quite misleading... I also don't think his comments about the farming community do much to help garner support...Them being perhaps the biggest and most influential stakeholders in relation to this concept, he's done more to alienate them than persuade...
Also, just wanted to point out that re-wilding shares some of the same potential pitfalls as de-extinction too. Here's a great piece by Frank Swain about de-extinction: http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2013/03/13/why-de-extinction-is-a-stupid-idea/