Conservation or Preservation? A Qualitative Study of the Conceptual Foundations of Natural Resource Management |
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Authors: | Ben A Minteer Elizabeth A Corley |
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Institution: | (1) Human Dimensions Faculty, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 85287-4501 Tempe, AZ, USA;(2) School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, 85004-0687 Tempe, AZ, USA |
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Abstract: | Few disputes in the annals of US environmentalism enjoy the pedigree of the conservation-preservation debate. Yet, although
many scholars have written extensively on the meaning and history of conservation and preservation in American environmental
thought and practice, the resonance of these concepts outside the academic literature has not been sufficiently examined.
Given the significance of the ideals of conservation and preservation in the justification of environmental policy and management,
however, we believe that a more detailed analysis of the real-world use and understanding of these ideas is needed. In this
paper, we describe the results of a qualitative, semantic study of the concepts of conservation and preservation undertaken
in the context of the Chattahoochee National Forest (CNF), located in northern Georgia (USA). Thirty in-depth interviews were
conducted with scientists and north Georgia residents either interested or involved in the future management of the forest.
Respondents were asked to define conservation and preservation in their own words and to indicate which approach they felt
was more appropriate for the management of the CNF. Qualitative content analysis was used to elicit a set of recurring themes
for each foundational concept. Taken together, these themes help to flesh out the meaning of conservation and preservation
for citizens and scientists today, and illustrate the evolving nature of two of the more significant and venerable ideas animating
US environmental policy and management. |
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Keywords: | Chattahoochee National Forest conservation-preservation debate national forest management philosophy of resource management public attitudes toward nature |
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