Читать книгу Fundamentals of Conservation Biology - Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. - Страница 79

The journeys people make to natural ecosystems, to places where the hand of humanity is hard to detect, are often too profoundly important to be reduced to dollars and cents (Fig. 4.6). The forty days Moses spent in the desert, the walkabouts of Australian Aborigines, and perhaps the night you spent watching the tide ebb and flood are periods of spiritual recreation and revitalization that many people find of immeasurable value. For some people, particularly those who are pantheistic (i.e. believe that God is nature and nature is God), ecosystems provide far more than an aesthetic setting for these experiences. The ecosystems themselves, with their depth and complexity, are a source of inspiration, a vehicle for feeling connected to something larger and more permanent than one’s self. It is notable that all the world’s major religions advocate respect and stewardship for “creation.”

Figure 4.6 Many people visit natural ecosystems to feel a sense of spiritual renewal, for example by walking this path in Japan.

(Sean Pavone/Shutterstock)