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Pacific Conservation Biology Pacific Conservation Biology Society
A journal dedicated to conservation and wildlife management in the Pacific region.
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Failure of science, death of nature1

Harry F. Recher
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, and School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, and Australian Museum Research Institute, The Australian Museum, College Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Email: hfrecher@gmail.com

Pacific Conservation Biology 21(1) 2-14 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC14907
Submitted: 28 December 2014  Accepted: 27 January 2015   Published: 21 April 2015

Abstract

As a people, Australians have lost contact with the world of nature, risking the collapse of civilisation. One factor in the alienation of nature in Australia is the failure of the scientific community to take responsibility for the technology created by the knowledge generated from scientific research. Science has failed to protect Australia’s flora and fauna. Scientists must communicate more widely with society, but need to be educated on how to communicate and on their ethical responsibilities to others and other species. Government needs to show leadership in environmental management and nature conservation, while conservationists need to ‘invert the paradigm’, taking a new, less anthropocentric approach to conservation. None of this is possible in a market-place economy and Australians must move to an economic system that is ecocentric. This will not be easy as it requires a reduction in the consumption of resources and a smaller population.


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