ABSTRACT
In the period between 1961 and 1966 the conservation movement was gripped by a sense of failure. Habitat destruction and threats to species were visibly accelerating. Environmental pollution had become an issue and the publication in 1963 of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring jarred many consciences (as Chapter 6 describes in greater depth). At the same time, many national organizations were gaining strength. In the United Kingdom the Nature Conservancy, led by Max Nicholson, was busily establishing and managing nature reserves and undertaking the research needed to underpin national conservation. In the United States, Canada and many other developed countries, national programmes were also advancing.
