Conservation (ethic)

The term conservation includes all studies and measures for the conservation and restoration of nature, where there are three objectives differ: Preserving the diversity, uniqueness and beauty of nature, landscape and wildlife ( aesthetic and cultural reasons; nature as a symbol ), the conservation of capacity of the ecosystem, with a sustainable usability of nature is sought by man ( nature as a resource and service providers), and the preservation of nature, especially of biodiversity at the species level, due to their inherent value ( nature as self-worth / moral object). Methodically can the Nature Conservation in the habitat conservation and species protection are broken, both of which are closely intertwined.

Objectives of nature conservation

The aim of conservation is to preserve nature and the landscape on the basis of their own value and as a means of livelihood of the people (§ 1 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act ). Conservation is therefore a public responsibility and is enshrined in Article 20a of the Basic Law state objective. In Switzerland it is governed by Article 78 of the Constitution and based on the article of the Constitution the Federal Act on Nature and Cultural Heritage (NCHA ). Many people who work in conservation or support its work so that also connect further reaching expectations and motives that arise from the intellectual-historical origin of nature conservation. These include ethical reasons ( animal welfare) or emotional ( local ties ). Although without the motivations of these people much less practical conservation work would be done, they remain in this, focused on public conservation products disregarded.

From the knowledge out that over-exploitation and destruction of nature and landscape can have a dramatic and catastrophic consequences for the settlement location, health and food production of man, restoration, preservation and long -term and sustainable utility of the ecosystem are sought.

Arguments for conservation

The botanist Otti Wilmann formulated five arguments for conservation:

Protected interests of nature conservation

For ecosystem include abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem, and their interactions. Soils, water, seas are considered ( Marine ), Air, air, habitats, as well as the landscape as abiotic. Biotic components of the ecosystem are fauna and vegetation. Interactions between the components run as complicated interactions from ( landscape ecology). The individual components of this complex system of the ecosystem must be protected because they can fulfill their function otherwise no longer. Limited or lost functions may have serious effects on humans. Functions of the ecosystem for humans settlement and conduct business ( food, raw materials, processing, transport), recreation, health.

Important objects of nature conservation are natural landscapes, natural monuments, inter alia, protected areas and landscape components, as well as rare and endangered in their inventory plants, animals, and habitats in their ecosystems and their locations. Nature conservation is therefore concerned with the location factors: soil conservation, microclimate, air pollution and noise, and other potentially harmful influences such as light, movement, fragmentation and isolation of habitats. In recent decades, biodiversity protection has gained within human settlements and agricultural land in importance.

The practical conservation work is being done, especially at regional and local levels. The legal instruments of nature conservation, however, are rooted in many countries at the national level. Within the European Union are also Europe-wide programs and regulations relating to importance (eg Natura 2000, or even the European Water Framework Directive, which will indirectly have a major impact on the nature conservation). Nature conservation there are different currents / movements. This shows, for example, to the fact that a majority to achieve a maximum possible biodiversity by promoting a richly diverse land use / landscape management 's commitment, not a few but uncompromising fight for process protection, which leads under Central European conditions for the development of natural forests, depending on the type of vegetation can be relatively species-poor but. Different Areas of interest of conservationists have often serious conflicts result because measures which serve certain types of vegetation, can be inconvenient for some of the ancestral bird life if necessary.

The paradigm shift in the scientific ecology, the idea of ​​the ecological balance gave up in the second half of the 20th century and developed a dynamic understanding of nature in the context of disturbance ecology, also had an impact on the fundamentals of nature conservation. The idea of an ever -adapting nature seemed in contrast to preservation for the purposes of habitat protection to stand. Influential was the development of environmental history as a scientific discipline, which introduced a longer -term view frame.

As a mediating position, the concept of resilience is increasingly represented in the 21st century. Conservation has therefore the task to increase the resilience of ecosystems or to limit the extent of interference so that the dynamics of the system is below its resistance to interference. The concept was begun in the 1970s by Stanley Crawford Holling and since then further developed.

Consequences for the local population

The consequences of the establishment of protected areas on the local population are assessed differently. The view that large protected areas beyond the inhabitants of their economic basis, is contrary to the view that their establishment is a positive effect on the economic situation of the population. Negative consequences for the local population are seen in use restrictions, relocation to expulsions from certain protected zones and the associated dissolution of traditional farming practices, and social structures. Remnants of traditional ways of life would by the tourist development of the protected areas to the exotic decoration. Overall, self-sufficient structures would be replaced by the dependence on external factors such as international funding through the protective measures. In contrast, positive effects are seen in the fact that large protected areas are economically attractive, so instead find an approximately twice as high population growth on its edge, as the average of the Greater Region, which belongs to the protected area. The reasons for the grant, which provides the international community for the establishment of protected areas to choose from and through which the infrastructure and the security situation will improve, as well as income from tourism apply.

Difference to environmental protection

The nature considered all uses of soil and water, which may affect its interests; this may also be those that are of no interest to people (eg wasteland ). The environment considers all human activities that could be associated with a risk to ecosystems and biodiversity. While the nature turns his attention on the ecosystem as a whole and want to fight harmful human influences at their place of Einwirkens, environmental protection is more often from it to fight the human activities that are the cause of environmental damage.

• When it comes to the climate conservation mostly to the micro-climate / climate inventory and its preservation as an important factor in ecosystems. The climate of environmental protection, however, deals with the major climate. On the question of whether small hydropower plants or wind turbines rather conserve the environment or harm her more, there are often differences of opinion between environmental and conservationists.
• During the environmental protection attempts to slow the destruction of forests by air pollution, nature protection attempts to recover the damaged forests and maintain it. Especially in the latter case is clear: the nature has to act locally to convince landowners, farmers and foresters of the project; he has to select appropriate plants that are adapted to changing environmental conditions, it is obliged to fight by other measures, the subsequent losses of forest dieback.

Legal instruments of nature conservation

In Germany the legislative competence for nature conservation is divided between federal and state governments. Before the reform of federalism, the federal government had only a competency framework legislation, due to which he has adopted the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Countries have their own provincial nature conservation laws that have replaced the earlier continue in force as state law Reich Nature Protection Act of 1935. Today, the federal government does have the legislative competence in the field of nature protection, but countries have a deviation competence (Art. 72 para 3 of the Basic Law ). The national rules take numerous international agreements and programs and individual policies of the European Union. The central scientific authority of the federal government for the national and international nature conservation is the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

In Switzerland, in the area of landscape protection a shared responsibility of the federal government and the cantons (Art. 78 para 1 and 2 BV ); in the area of the actual nature protection ( habitat and species protection), the federal government, however, a comprehensive legislative competence (Art. 78 para 4 and 5 BV), which he has largely exhausted (Article 18 et seq of the Natural and Cultural Heritage Protection Act).

• Conservation laws in Germany: Federal Nature Conservation Act
• Conservation laws of the countries

• Terms ( Germany: § § of the Federal Nature Conservation Act ) Nature Reserve ( Germany: § 23)
• National Park ( Germany: § 24, Switzerland National Park Act ) - ( List of national parks)
• Biosphere Reserve ( Germany: § 25)
• Conservation area ( Germany: § 26)
• Nature Park ( Germany: § 27 ) - ( List of nature parks in Germany )
• Natural Monument ( Germany: § 28)
• Protected landscape components ( Germany: § 29)
• Legally protected biotope ( Germany: § 30)
• Water protection area ( used for the quantitative and qualitative maintenance of the water supply of the population). no conservation category in the true sense.
• Moorland ( Switzerland: Article 23 NHG)
• Wetlands of national importance ( Switzerland: Article 18a para 1 and 3 NHG)

• European law Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive (FFH Directive)
• Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds
• Taken Natura 2000 in German law. § § 31-34)

• International agreements ( selection):
• ( Further agreements see list of international environmental agreements ) Biosphere Reserve (1970 ) - UNESCO Programme "Man and the Biosphere" - ( List of Biosphere Reserves )
• Ramsar Convention (1971 ) - Convention on Wetlands, especially as a habitat for Watts and waterfowl of international importance
• CITES ( CITES ) ( 1973) - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
• Helsinki Convention (1974 ) - Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Baltic Sea areas
• UNESCO World Heritage Site (1975 ) - UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of the World
• Bern Convention (1979 ) - European Artenschutzübereinkommen
• CMS (1979) - Convention on the Conservation of Migratory wild life species
• International Tropical Timber Agreement (1983 )
• Alpine Convention (1991 ) - Convention for the Protection of the Alps
• Rio Convention (1992 ) - Convention on Biological Diversity
• OSPAR (1992 ) - Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic

Nature conservation as a study and career

The achievement of the objectives of nature conservation is the responsibility of a landscape designer. In the technical authorities work graduates of landscape planning or " related courses ". This includes in particular falls Biology, and Forestry.

As is common in many other areas of government, non- governmental tasks of nature protection are processed mainly outside the authorities. For most technical tasks, such as Care plans ( management plans) of nature reserves, the authorities typically hire external, landscape architects usually freelance or biologists or relevant specialist agencies. Due to the limited financial resources available to the natural protection available for these occupations the work directly for conservation usually only a small proportion of their field of activity. More important are usually the planning management of intervention effects in the context of environmental impact assessments, landscape conservation and accompanying plans, the impact regulation under the Federal Nature Conservation Act or environmental reports ( according to the Building Code ). A great deal of practical conservation work is done by unpaid and volunteer conservation organizations. Some of these have begun as part of the professionalization of their work in order to hire paid staff. Other launchers publicly funded conservation projects such as Nature Park clubs, etc. authorities set for these purposes, qualified personnel.

The only non - academic profession with state recognition in conservation is the " nature and landscape manager / in ", which is commonly referred to as "Ranger".

History of nature conservation in Germany

The history of nature conservation in Germany can not be reduced to an origin, since the conservation thought in the 18th and 19th centuries and was influenced by several liberal arts movements such as utilitarianism or naturalism, but also of religion and aesthetics. As one of the first promoters of the naturalist and forest scientist Johann Matthäus Bechstein (1757-1822) is seen. Influential was the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), who with his work Cosmos gained great popularity and to the concept of the natural monument is returned. As the first act of practical nature conservation in Germany is the purchase of the Drachenfels in the Seven Mountains in 1836 under the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. seen, which the further reduction of the Drachenfels trachyte was prevented for the construction of the Cologne Cathedral. It was, however, to remark that the motives were not the nature, rather than the receipt of a " romantic charged national symbol ". The Drachenfels was placed officially under protection, together with the castle until 1922.

During the 19th century grew - parallel to the exploitation and use of natural resources through technical progress, industrialization and urbanization - the social awareness of the need to protect the nature. The first nature protection associations have emerged in this period, such as 1899, the German Association for Bird Protection, from the Society for Nature Conservation Germany emerged ( NABU). At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century translated conservationists for larger conservation areas and on protection of species beyond large-scale landscape management and made ​​demands for legislation. The year 1906 is considered the founding of the State Office for Nature Monuments in Prussia than the start time for the government Nature Conservation in Germany. During the Weimar Republic came under nature conservation legislation thoughts though with Article 150 WRV in the Constitution, but could find no further refinement due to disputes over ownership and country -versus- central government issues. Only with the power in 1933, the Nazi regime used centrally by both countries against the interests as well as against economic and agricultural interests.

Nature conservation in National Socialism was characterized by comprehensive new legal regulations in the years 1933 to 1935 in the field of nature conservation and environmental protection, especially through the 1935 enacted Reich Nature Protection Law ( RNG), which applied for nature conservation as a major advance. In practice, however, the normative program was hardly noticed, it came by highway construction, intensification of land and forest use, draining of peatlands as well as by industrial and especially military intervention to massive destruction of nature. Also direct destruction of already designated protected areas for monumental buildings have been made, have been destroyed, for example, in 1936 the construction of the massive KdF - home of the seaside resort Prora on Rügen, through the essential parts of the nature reserve Schmale Heide. Institutionally, the nature of the " Reich Agency for Nature Conservation " subordinate to the Reich Forestry Office Hermann Goering from 1936, ideologically he was mixed with a racist concept of home as well as the blood - and-soil ideology in landscape planning in Eastern Europe after the General Plan for the East their significant expression found.

After the end of World War II worked both in the GDR and in West Germany the staff of the conservation authorities.

In the GDR changed the political inclusion and objectives of nature conservation. The most influential designers such as Georg Pniower or Reinhold Lingner were politically unencumbered and the SED loyal. Neither an aesthetic exaggeration nor a nationalist- racial emphasis played in building a socialist country with which a just society should be connected to a role. At the practical work of landscape planning, however, this changed little. The tasks were kept, mission continued to be the intensification of land use. Personnel was paid to professionals from the time of National Socialism, even to members of the Nazi Party, resorted; often came from this environment Alwin Seifert.

In West Germany there was no de-Nazification proceedings against conservation officers. Leading figures from the period of National Socialism as Wiepking Heinrich -Jürgen man, Konrad Meyer or Mading Erhard had also held high positions after 1945. The kingdom of Nature Protection Act was in force until the adoption of the Federal Nature Conservation Act ( Federal Nature Conservation Act ) in 1976 as a country right on.

Switzerland

Nature conservation is ( NHG) regulated in Switzerland legally advance in Nature and Cultural Heritage Protection Act at the federal level. Sub-schemes also exist in the forestry and agricultural legislation by the federal government and the cantons. Private organizations of local nature conservation are as Pro Natura and the Swiss bird conservation.