ABSTRACT
Some of the contributions to this volume have been aimed primarily at understanding the depth and complexity of the colonial legacy with regard to conservation practice, while others have begun to suggest some new strategies and approaches for the future. Recommendations for rethinking and reorienting conservation practice range from an articulation of the need to create more ‘space’ for the rehabilitation of indigenous land management and ‘wildlife’ management practices, to an enthusiastic endorsement of the work of restoration ecology (as in the example of Wicken Fen, see Chapter 11). Penelope Figgis (Chapter 9) has provided a thorough review of the new challenges and conservation ‘models’ that Australian conservationists are grappling with. A similar range of choices and dilemmas is facing conservationists in many other countries. Val Plumwood (Chapter 3) calls for a new movement to decolonize place names in the former colonies, and John Cameron (Chapter 8) argues that efforts to nurture place responsiveness can challenge the prevailing dangerous alienation of people from the places in which they dwell. Martin Mulligan (Chapter 12) argues that one way to re-enchant nature conservation work is to show people how they can re-engage sensuously with landscapes that are full of stories – perhaps to revive the ‘magical’ experiences of childhood engagements with the non-human. This emphasizes the point that ethical engagement with the land can be driven as much by inspirational experiences and memories as by a sense of guilt about the colonial legacy of taming the wild.
