Contemporary relationships with Natural Environments

Patterns of interactions

Relationships are not static. They change over time. So, we are looking for patterns of humans interactions

How has the interaction changed over time?

Are there more or less people involved?

Have the environmental impacts changed?

Have the practices changed?

The place.

There is a place. A ‘natural’ place. See if you can picture it in your head

– what it looks like is completely up to you.

What would you be doing there? We will look at 4 possibilities. See if you can work them out. Try and fill out some of your

summary table as you go.

Recreation

Using outdoor settings for activities that are personally enjoyable.

Bushwalking, skiing, rock climbing, scenic tours

History of recreation - Early Ancient recreation – Koorie groups spent 4-5

hours per day hunting an gathering. Remainder of day could be used for

recreation – story telling, dancing, learning skills for food collection, games.

European settlers – little time for relaxation – clearing land, planting crops – always something to do!

1880’s – start to see establishment of huts in mountain and coastal areas for recreational visitors.

Recreation history - modern

After 1950’s – increasing incomes leads to greater recreation in outdoors.

Expansion of tourism providers and equipment stores.

Increased clubs/organisations. Progressively increasing

management strategies to restrict impacts to the environments from high use.

Primary Industries

Using the natural world as a resource to make money.

Agriculture, mining, water extraction, hydro-electricity generation, grazing.

History

Commercial activity has increased in line with population growth in Australia.

Indigenous commerce – area specific resources like stone – used for axe heads traded to tribes of other areas.

Early 1800’s – sealing, agriculture Mid 1800’s – agriculture, gold mining Current – agriculture (again!) water

extraction, mining, forestry harvesting.

Current relationship

Advances in technology have allowed greater efficiency, and also greater effects from primary industries. Eg – if taking water from the soil leads to

salinity, having a machine that allows you to take lots of water makes this happen rapidly

But…greater understanding of environmental issues is leading to more restrictions, limitations and laws in relation to land clearance, disposing of chemicals etc.

Question

It has taken our nation 150 years to start really implementing controls on primary industries to protect the environment.

These work by way of legislation – forcing people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do?

How does this compare with the ways that indigenous people looked after their land.

How are our values different?

Conservation

Working in a positive manner to restore natural environments.

Research, erosion control, weed and feral animal eradication, management of catchment areas, walking track maintenance.

National Parks, Landcare, Coastcare, Land for wildlife, wilderness society.

History - Early

First settlers – little importance. Australia was a colony on the other side of the world – they had come to acquire more resources and expand the empire.

Early conservation – protecting waterways that supplied major towns and cities – Melbourne, Sydney – conservation for human’s sake!

Late 1800’s – emergence of field naturalists clubs and first national park.

Modern history

Conservation organisations, policies and practices since 1960’s have grown in line with increasing use of the outdoors.

Outside of most urban and agricultural areas are typically state parks or national parks, with varying levels of protection.

Local environmental needs still typically considered secondary to economic purposes – protected areas are not set in economically prosperous areas.

Tourism

Combines commercial and recreational interactions – you have fun, I make money.

Closely linked with the other relationships.

Four wheel drive tours, residential camps, fishing tours, ecotourism, trail riding.

History early

Late 1800’s. As recreational use was increasing, opportunity for economic gains.

Mount Buffalo declared national park in 1898 – provides attraction.

Road built into area in 1908 – easy access to area.

Mt Buffalo chalet built in 1910 – attraction + access = good business!

Modern history

As industry grew, governments started to actively support tourism to increase jobs and economic output of the country.

Big ad campaigns overseas etc. Big business today!

Overall relationship

We are a society of ‘consumers’. The logic works like this:

We have an ‘economy’. In economy, we have people who make things.

Other people buy, or ‘consume’ these things. We all need money to buy the things. So, we all need jobs, to get money to buy the

things. So, we go and work for the people who make the

things, so we can have money to but other things. The more things you have, the more successful you

are, and the happier you are!

And then what happens?

As we buy more things, this increases ‘demand’ – so companies make more things.

As companies make more things, there is a greater ‘supply’. The more things there are out there, the more things we want, which increases demand.

This is called ‘growth’ – which is a good thing as it creates more jobs, and more money

This means that growth will need to keep going on forever.

Why could this be an issue?

Consumer relationship with environment?

In historical relationships, we looked at the ideas if viewing the land as a resource.

Today, we a re all ‘consumers’, or customers.

The environment is another thing that we can ‘consume’ – pay money to go on a tour – we consume that service.

What implications are there for viewing the environment as another service which can be consumed?