Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
objective (It), (3) collective-subjective (We), and (4) collective-objective (Its). While
these quadrants have a multitude of dimensions within and among them, we will de-
scribe them respectively as personal emotions/feelings/experiences (I), behavior of the
“Other” (It), cultural rules/norms/worldviews (We), and patterns/systems (Its). These
four perspectives of reality are present in every restoration project but are especially
pronounced in those projects that are more complex due to their size, funding source,
or the number of stakeholders involved.
The “I” quadrant encompasses how you feel about and how you cope with the
reality you perceive. The mere fact that you believe in the value of ecological restora-
tion is in itself personally healing and transformative because it expresses hope for the
future in the face of overwhelming odds. However, no one is perfect and we all have
doubts and fears to cope with (e.g., Why do I dislike participating in this collaborative
process? Will this public event actually persuade people to volunteer? Is it all right to
intensely dislike this invasive species I am trying to control?). It is vitally important to
continue searching into the psychological aspects of the practice through means such
as art, meditation, contemplation, and community service in order to understand the
root causes of the emotions and attitudes that underlie both environmental degrada-
tion and repair.
The “We” quadrant encapsulates how people as a group (i.e., a cultural entity) col-
lectively feel about, view, or place values on any given situation. For example, as a sub-
culture, restorationists have a worldview that sees the environment as “degraded, dam-
aged, or destroyed” and, as a corollary, that humans are capable of repairing such
environments as well as our connection to nature and our own communities through
restoration activities. We need to be aware that we hold such a worldview because we
will encounter people who share our belief and those who do not. This realm or ter-
rain of culture is the area in which disputes emerge, and depending on motivations
and/or access to political or economic power, these collective values and ideologies
can support or, as restorationists in Chicago found out several years ago (Gobster and
Hull 2000), derail restoration activities. Recognizing these value sets and learning
how to work with them is, therefore, key to making a restoration project sustainable;
ignoring them is not an option. Indeed, we need to be aware of all the various cultures
and subcultures involved in any restoration project, be they indigenous, corporate,
bureaucratic, religious, or any other.
The “It” quadrant, like the “Its” quadrant, is the terrain of third-person, objective
perspective; the realm of observation, data collection, and analysis. This is the domain
of restoration ecology (i.e., the theoretical, scientific basis for the practice of ecologi-
cal restoration). It is also the quadrant for all scientific endeavors that focus on indi-
vidual behaviors, including individual psychology. Unfortunately, and despite the ef-
forts of restoration leaders (e.g., Bill Jordan, Eric Higgs, and Andre Clewell) to expand
the discussion and scope of ecological restoration, this science-based perspective re-
mains the main focus of ecological restoration work. There must be greater efforts
made to integrate this vital area with the other three quadrants, and efforts must be
made by all parties. Such a multiperspective/multidisciplinary approach will only
serve to strengthen ecological restoration projects
and
change behaviors so that we, as
