Reintroduction is defined as ‘restoring a species to parts
of its natural range from which it has been lost.’ There is currently a large
body of thought that suggests that species extinct in Britain for many years
should be reintroduced. There is currently a push towards reintroducing species
such as Bear, Lynx, Wolves, Wild Boar and Beavers back into Britain. It can
certainly be argued that these species are largely extinct in Britain as a
result of human intervention and meddling.
The way in which these species are planned to be restored in
Britain is through rigorous land management and tight, procedural conditions to
be made by people. If we intend to
reintroduce these species into Britain’s wilderness, the first serious question
to ask is what we mean by ‘wilderness’. As a result of National Parks, Special
Sites of Scientific Interest and many more, there is a distinct absence of any
land that is unmanaged. There could
therefore be a case for being against reintroduction of species into Britain
because we would be putting species under the supervision of environmental managers,
heritage consultants etc. after human intervention was what led to their demise
in the first place.
There is, however a body of thought that completely
vindicates the work of environmental managers and heritage consultants; the
wild and all its contents can be seen as internally valuable sources of
intangible heritage which desperately need preserving and managing. Reintroducing species would mean a huge
advance in tourism and a boost to the heritage and environmental industry.
Species being reinstated in the UK could nurture one’s own cultural heritage
and sense of British identity, species seen as alien and feared by the UK can
once again become part of its custom.
Managing wilderness is important, although it may be
managed, the nature and intangible meaning within it is unmanaged and important
to everyone who belongs to Britain.
This is the first of hopefully more pieces in which I
communicate the importance of natural heritage management and human-environment
interactions and how relevant managing landscapes and wildlife is within the
heritage industry. I am currently studying for an MA in Museum and Heritage
Management at Nottingham Trent University. I am also a Heritage Assistant with
Culture Syndicates. During my studies and experience with Culture Syndicates I
have started to learn that natural heritage is a subject that people within the
industry rarely address. The following set of blogs aim to show just how
important and applicable natural heritage management is to all those who work
within the heritage industry and indeed anyone who feels a part of Britain.
Further resources:
Further resources:
This post was written by Andrew Taylor, an NTU Masters student in Museum and Heritage Management and a Culture Syndicates Heritage Assistant.
