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The Science of Open Spaces: Theory and Practice for Conserving Large, Complex Systems
From the days of the American Frontier, the term "open spaces" has evoked a vision of unspoiled landscapes stretching endlessly toward the horizon, of nature operating on its own terms without significant human interference. Ever since, government agencies, academia, and conservation organizations have promoted policies that treat large, complex systems with a one-size-fits-all mentality that fails to account for equally complex social dimensions of humans on the landscape. This is wrong, argues landscape ecologist and researcher Charles Curtin. We need a science-based approach that tells us how to think about our large landscapes and open spaces at temporally and spatially appropriate scales in a way that allows local landowners and other stakeholders a say in their futures.
The Science of Open Spaces turns conventional conservation paradigms on their heads, proposing that in thinking about complex natural systems, whether the arid spaces of the southwestern United States or open seas shared by multiple nations, we must go back to "first principles"--those fundamental physical laws of the universe--and build innovative conservation from the ground up based on theory and backed up by practical experience. Curtin walks us through such foundational science concepts as thermodynamics, ecology, sociology, and resilience theory, applying them to real-world examples from years he has spent designing large-scale, place-based collaborative research programs in the United States and around the world.
Compelling for not only theorists and students, but also practitioners, agency personnel, and lay readers, this book offers a thoughtful and radical departure from business-as-usual management of Earth's dwindling wide-open spaces.
The Science of Open Spaces turns conventional conservation paradigms on their heads, proposing that in thinking about complex natural systems, whether the arid spaces of the southwestern United States or open seas shared by multiple nations, we must go back to "first principles"--those fundamental physical laws of the universe--and build innovative conservation from the ground up based on theory and backed up by practical experience. Curtin walks us through such foundational science concepts as thermodynamics, ecology, sociology, and resilience theory, applying them to real-world examples from years he has spent designing large-scale, place-based collaborative research programs in the United States and around the world.
Compelling for not only theorists and students, but also practitioners, agency personnel, and lay readers, this book offers a thoughtful and radical departure from business-as-usual management of Earth's dwindling wide-open spaces.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2015
43 people want to read
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July 18, 2024
Have you ever read a set of instructions? They don't make a whole lot of sense until you start following the instruction--then you realize, ah, yes, here is Tab A, there is Tab B, now I realize how I'm supposed to put them together.
Well, this book is a set of instructions--how to conduct large-scale land conservation. If that's what you're doing, the book is a gem, you need to read it. If you're doing something else, you might have to work a little harder to engage with the material. That's OK, and in fact the book is well-worth the extra effort. It's a good exploration of an important topic, and Curtin's voice is simply a pleasure to read.
But I've read a few reviews on Amazon by people who didn't put in the effort and criticize the author for not doing Thing A very well when he was actually TRYING to do Thing B (and succeeding). It's been a minute since I read the book, so I can't quote you an example now, but I remember being very struct by everything the poor reviewers were missing.
Shouldn't a writer get the message out right without the extra reader effort? Well, maybe, ideally. But when the message is this good, it's worth it.
I'm not deducting a star over the issue--the missing star is because there are a few places that aren't fully fleshed out. It's a little frustrating. It's a good book that could have been a great one.
Well, this book is a set of instructions--how to conduct large-scale land conservation. If that's what you're doing, the book is a gem, you need to read it. If you're doing something else, you might have to work a little harder to engage with the material. That's OK, and in fact the book is well-worth the extra effort. It's a good exploration of an important topic, and Curtin's voice is simply a pleasure to read.
But I've read a few reviews on Amazon by people who didn't put in the effort and criticize the author for not doing Thing A very well when he was actually TRYING to do Thing B (and succeeding). It's been a minute since I read the book, so I can't quote you an example now, but I remember being very struct by everything the poor reviewers were missing.
Shouldn't a writer get the message out right without the extra reader effort? Well, maybe, ideally. But when the message is this good, it's worth it.
I'm not deducting a star over the issue--the missing star is because there are a few places that aren't fully fleshed out. It's a little frustrating. It's a good book that could have been a great one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review