John E. Morgan & Peter R. Hobson
Rewilding: A necessary step change or a ‘field of dreams’? Conservation of biodiversity: Drivers of change and holding the line Modern day conservation has emerged from cultural practices of land management that have been part of the human story and have shaped much of the terrestrial surface of the planet in the last 10,000 years (MEA, 2005; Lorimer et al., 2015). The rapid loss of biodiversity linked directly to humaninduced activities has set the pretext for modern-day conservation but has also played a part in forging the philosophy and practices driving the conservation movement. Notwithstanding the advances made in science and their application in conservation, culture retains a strong influence in policy and practice for species and habitat protection across Europe (Vera, 2009). Broadly speaking, two philosophies underpin conservation, namely ‘compositionalism’ (where the standpoint is from a biogeographical / community perspective consisting of interacting hierarchies of individuals, populations, etc.) and ‘functionalism’ (where the focus is on ecological processes, such as
thermodynamics and nutrient cycling) (Callicott et al., 1999). The consequence of such a dichotomy can be seen in the goals of conservation practice, with that of the compositionalists to maintain or recreate species assemblages through active management with perhaps an entity (rather than a functional) focus; whilst for the functionalists the emphasis is on maintaining or restoring ecosystem processes.‘Protected areas’ (PAs) are a central tenet of conventional conservation strategy. However, views of nature and conservation have changed over the last 50 years, particularly with the recognition of drivers of change, the development of ecosystem approach and landscape-scale conservation, and over the last decade, of the importance of resilience and adaptability in an era of rapid environmental change (Mace, 2014). In addition, there has been a concomitant shift from a focus on species, habitats and wildlife ecology, towards a broader multidisciplinary arena, embracing both social and ecological science (Mace, 2014).
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