The ‘Balance of Nature’ Myth. Nature is always changing

Written by Donna Laframboise, July 5, 2018.

 SPOTLIGHT: There’s no such thing as a ‘balance of nature.’ Nature is not static

BIG PICTURE: A prominent theme of ecologist Daniel Botkin’s latest book, 25 Myths That Are Destroying the Environment, is that the natural world is more sophisticated than we imagine.

Everything is fluid. Numerous interactions are taking place at any given time. On multiple levels and in multiple directions. Between species and within species.  The belief that whales and other animals would be peachy keen if only humans weren’t around informs many conservation measures. We’re the skunk at the picnic. We disturb. We perturb. We upset a natural, intrinsic balance.  The irony of such ‘environmental’ thinking, says Botkin, is that it ignores the environment:........To Read More...