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ToolsWilliamson, Tom (2019) How natural is natural? Historical perspectives on wildlife and the environment in Britain:Colin Matthew Memorial Lecture. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 29. pp. 293-311. ISSN 0080-4401
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Abstract
This article explores some of the ways in which historians can, and should, engage with current debates about the environment. What we often think of as ‘natural’ habitats in Britain – heaths, ancient woodland, meadows and the like – are largely anthropogenic in character, and much of our most familiar wildlife, from rabbits to poppies, are alien introductions. The environments we cherish are neither natural nor timeless, but are enmeshed in human histories: even the kinds of tree most commonly found in the countryside are the consequence of human choice. The ways in which the environment was shaped by past management systems – to produce fuel, as much as food – are briefly explored; and the rise of ‘re-wilding’ as a fashionable approach to nature conservation is examined, including its practical and philosophical limitations and its potential impacts on the conservation of cultural landscapes.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Early title: How Natural is Natural? Historical Perspectives on Wildlife and the Environment |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Landscape History |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Jul 2019 09:30 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jul 2022 00:14 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/71816 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0080440119000136 |
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