Field Notes -- May 1999, Page 3

The Consequences of “Disconnection”

In the last several decades our knowledge of interconnections enabled us to see that these disruptions can also be caused by human actions, and that the consequences could return to haunt us.

Today, we face a variety of problems associated with these negative consequences.  From determining the environmental fate of pesticides to understanding the link between land-use decisions and the threat to biodiversity, it becomes clear that understanding interconnections is critical to restoring imperiled resources.  However, learning the mechanics of interconnections is only part of the solution.  We must also learn and overcome the reason why resources become jeopardized in the first place.

As society doggedly pursues the goal of “improved quality of life,” a standard often raised, we continue to remove and insulate ourselves against the natural world.  We have “disconnected” from our own ecology and it is precisely this disconnection that allows us to act without considering the consequences.  Examples abound that demonstrate our rapidly deteriorating understanding of our place in the natural world.  Many people today work in buildings where fresh air cannot intrude.  We think nothing of driving in climate-controlled vehicles for trivial tasks, even when the destination is right around the corner.  The link between what food the land provides and the end-product we finally eat is increasingly blurred as people rely on “fast-food” and mall-like grocery stores.  Intimate knowledge of local flora and fauna has been replaced by television shows on exotic, high-profile species.  At the close of the 20th century, people commonly spend entire days without setting foot on terra firma.  Given all this, it is no surprise we continue to fragment and cover our remaining wild spaces, squander resources at an alarming rate, and use our water, air, and land to receive the waste generated by our consumptive lifestyle.

Solving the problems arising from our disconnection requires more than technical expertise.  It also requires belief in a simple philosophy: humankind is not separate from nature, but rather an integral part of it -- interconnected to all other components of our surrounding ecosystems.  The challenge for those of us working to protect our natural resources is difficult.  Not only must we learn the complex interconnections of ecosystems, but we should also be harbingers of a more holistic approach to humankind’s place on the earth.  Service programs, such as “Earth Stewards,” a program reaching out to future generations, and “Partners for Fish and Wildlife,” a habitat enhancement and restoration effort, attempt to promote and foster this philosophy.  While society may never revert to its agrarian or hunter/gatherer roots, it is not too late to change our way of thinking and “re-connect” with the environment around us.  Aldo Leopold, the father of conservation, told us that “The land is one organism.”  We must not forget we are part of that whole.