Nature for People

Excerpt from Letter from the President, Nature Conservancy, Summer 2010 issue

It might be said that the Nature Conservancy was born of the impulse to protect nature by setting it apart from people.  We can appreciate why such sentiment arose in 1950s America, when suburbs were gobbling up forests, and meadows were giving way to highway interchanges for a newly mobile society. "Buy it up, fence it off" became the unspoken motto for a nascent land conservation movement.

While those pioneering land saves were indeed heroic, we may have inadvertently done ourselves a disservice by reinforcing a false dichotomy: people or nature. When people see themselves as separate from nature, it's easy for conservation to be perceived as a luxury we can't afford during economic hard times - and as just another special interest the rest of the time.  

As the scope and scale of the Nature Conservancy's work has expanded over the last half-century, however, a stronger appreciation of people's relationship with nature has taken hold. There is a growing recognition that our species' sustenance, livelihoods, economies and well-being are absolutely dependent on an intact and healthy natural world. A singular focus on securing biodiversity has evolved into a broader vision of conservation that ensures vibrant natural and human communities.

Conserving nature is often seen as a selfless act, but I would argue that the time has come to insert a bit more self-interest into our mission. We will continue to value the pristine and find joy and inspiration in nature's beauty, but conservation will command greater commitment and support only by continuing to refocus our plans and actions on the well-being of people.

-Mark R. Tercek
President & Chief Executive Officer
The Nature Conservancy

"Conserving nature is often seen as a selfless act, but I would argue that the time has come to insert a bit more self-interest into our mission."