When we share ideas about creating our future, two story-lines dominate. One is characterized by profit, work, discipline, achievement, productivity, efficiency, industry, and growth. It goes by the name of Economic Development. The other is characterized by protection, appreciation, wildness, parks, leaving no trace, virgin forests, ecological restoration, and exotic species neurosis. We call it Ecological Preservation. A third story-line is sustainable development. Unfortunately, the latter seems a more difficult story to tell. We have fewer illustrations of success stories to emulate and fewer charismatic characters with which to identify. We struggle defining meaningful roles doing the hard work of envisioning, innovating, and building a sustainable development path into the future. Lacking a third story, we fall victim to the human-nature dichotomy that so paralyzes and polarizes politics and philosophy about matters regarding the “environment.”
BioBlitz shines the brief but intense light on the biodiversity of a specific place. Lenses crafted through scientific, artistic, media, political, and philanthropic excellence focus the light. This strategy follows the Preservation script. It puts nature in the spotlight, on display, atop a pedestal, making nature important and distinct. It celebrates nature, not human relationship to it. The resulting distinctiveness inclines us to put nature in a preservation system: identify nature degradation as a problem and solve it by drawing a line around the area where it occurs to keep out economic development. We need this strategy, and more of it, especially the parts that raise public understanding and emotional attachment to biodiveristy. But the preservation strategy is insufficient, and potentially even harmful if it distracts us from the more difficult task of sustainable development.
The real challenge of the 2050 transitions is navigating between, or above, these two polarizing extremes and charting a sustainable development trajectory towards a healthy, thriving and tolerant future. We know how to inspire conversion of natural capital into economic wealth. We know how to inspire preservation and restoration of wildness. We don’t yet know how to inspire sustainable development. We need a story line that celebrates a bio-cultural relationship. We need Sustainable Development Spectacles or an Ecosystem Services Extravaganzas.