Ecology Revisited Reflecting on Concepts, Advancing Science
As concerns about humankind’s relationship with the environment move inexorably up the agenda, this volume tells the story of the history of the concept of ecology itself and adds much to the historical and philosophical debate over this multifaceted disc
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Astrid Schwarz • Kurt Jax Editors
Ecology Revisited Reflecting on Concepts, Advancing Science
Editors Astrid Schwarz Institute of Philosophy Technische Universität Darmstadt Schloss 64283 Darmstadt Germany [email protected]
Kurt Jax Department of Conservation Biology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig Germany [email protected]
ISBN 978-90-481-9743-9 e-ISBN 978-90-481-9744-6 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9744-6 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011920689 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Acknowledgements
This book is the outcome of a plurality of activities and all of them informed the original idea of an edition and research project “Handbook of Ecological Concepts (HOEK)”. From the very beginning, we envisioned the HOEK as a collective project that would provide a forum for exchange and debate of ideas in the rather scattered field of the history and philosophy of ecology, including theoretical ecology. Alongside concerns about woolliness, lack of transparency and contradictions in the use of ecological concepts, another important motivation for creating the HOEK, and constructing it as a genuine collective project, was our feeling that there was a pressing need to investigate the diversity in the history and theory of ecology in Europe, with its different national traditions, histories and scientific styles. This is true in particular for the early history of ecology from the late nineteenth century through to World War II, but pertains also to more recent developments. Such later developments include, for instance, the different national legislations in biological and environmental conservation, and the changes initiated by national governmental policies, e.g. measures for the increased use of renewable energies. Political developments such as these influence ecological science in the different countries, including the selection and development of concepts and the specific practices of ecology. Equally, however, the dynamics of concepts and theories also influence politics. This two-way interaction occurs, for example, in the context of specific implementation strategies for pan-European laws and directives, such as the European Water Framework Directive, as well as in the far-reaching and rapid changes in land use patterns and large-scale ecological restoration projects which started after the political upheavals of the 1990s, especially in East Germany and Eastern European
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