Finding beauty in nature

A surfer will tell you that they find intrinsic beauty in a clean, well shaped wave.  They will have gained an appreciation of waves over many hours spent among them.  Similarly a climber will be able to point out to you a challenging rock face and with their eyes will be able to trace a possible route of assent, a skill they were not born with.  My point is this: we can all, with experience, find beauty in nature and by nature I do not only mean that which is alive.

Forests of pines, or intensively farmed fields, fairly poor in terms of biodiversity can hold a beauty.  Whilst you may argue that a tropical forest or biodiverse meadow is more beautiful because it has more species and there is more to appreciate, we are unlikely to appreciate this beauty without exposure, without a chance to learn to enjoy it. 

As we become accustomed to habitats impoverished of biodiversity we learn to love these habitats, the habitats we grow up with.  Conservationists, therefore, may sometimes face a challenge in convincing people that the felling of a pine forest to restore an area to a more natural and biodiverse state such as a heathland is a good idea.  It is not an easy issue to solve and in my opinion it requires a combination of good clear communication (in two directions) between conservationists and members of the local community as well as encouragement for local people to spend time enjoying the new habitat.  Ultimately, individuals will favour conservation where they have a strong, personal appreciation for the landscape, probably not because they 

believe a world with more species is better per se.

Ecological snobbery clearly is not the way forward.  The National Trust has, over the past few years, made a great push to get more people from more backgrounds involved.  Some people are of the opinion that this has resulted, in some way, in a lowering of the naturalist ‘quality’ of the members.  Organisations such as the National Trust need not concern themselves soley with those that appreciate nature but should direct their efforts, as they do, at involving those who value nature less.

We can learn to love any aspect of nature.  Scientists may be said to have a slightly unfortunate role in as much as, when conducting research etc, they must act logically to provide high quality information to ensure that the information required to protect the planet is available.

Please take a few minutes to watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1swPZzxv0tI by a surf photographer Mickey Smith who is better than most at conveying his love for the natural world.