Handle with care

摘要

For many people - including many scientists - 'nature' is defined by a negative: it exists where people do not. Nature lies outside the urban and agricultural realms, in regions of Earth where natural processes are unimpeded. Nature is where fallen logs rot and acorns grow, wildfires turn woodlands into meadows, and barrier islands shift with the currents - all without human interference. By extension, this definition suggests that nature is best protected by keeping humans far away, so that it can continue to run itself. But there is a serious problem with this view. If nature is defined as a landscape uninfluenced by humankind, then there is no nature on the planet at all.