Science & More Talk

Elena Casetta (University of Turin), From Conserving Nature to promote Naturalness

Abstract: Since the beginning of the XX Century, nature has been the subject of conservation and protection actions. Yet, such a pivotal role is today called into question for at least two reasons. First, “biodiversity” widely replaced “nature” in conservation policies (Blandin 2007); second, because of the pervasiveness of the anthropogenic impact on the biosphere, there would be no nature left to conserve (Editorial 2008). Shall we just get rid of “nature” and “natural” from conservation debates? I do not think so. In this talk, I will argue for the importance of the concept of naturalness as a guide for conservation, and I will try to provide an account of the natural/artificial distinction suited to contemporary conservation framing. I will sketch this view with the help of some case studies, and I will show some of its advantages.