Looking forward to your Tragedy of the Commons video! I always feel pretty conflicted about translating ecological declines into dollar values, for all the reasons you mentioned and because I don't know what would be a better way to help people conceptualize those ideas as tangible aspects of all of our lives. I'd really like to find a better way, because I think, ultimately, putting a dollar value to something tends to imply it can be replaced with that many dollars, and that's just not a helpful way of thinking about ecology (or anything, really)
That's a great question! I would say they fall under a few. Wildflowers provide cultural ecosystem services to people who enjoy looking at them, and they provide supporting services because they are part of the food webs of their respective ecosystems.
I'd like to see a video on the tragedy of the commons. It's come into a fair amount of controversy lately both for claims it mostly fails as a predictive model, and from some of Hardin's reprehensible views that perhaps coloured the model. On the other hand, I've seen the tragedy in action. A local wetland produces cranberries. For many years, people went in, collected enough for themselves and some friends, and left. Then about 8 yrs ago, word got out, and some of the people coming in brought the huge scoops that rake through the shrubs, taking ripe and unripe berries alike as well as stripping and breaking branches. Pathways destroyed berry patches as people walked into the centers of patches. These people were walking back to their cars carrying the big white buckets filled with cranberries. I've stopped picking cranberries for myself now as the resource is under too much pressure and is badly degrading. So, I'm curious as to your take on this. P.S. I'm exhausted from field work too this year (six different projects and I was travelling back and forth to different sites hundreds of kms apart; and right now I'm supposed to be in James Bay lowlands except my knee finally rebelled and said, "enough").
Wow, your cranberry bog story is heartbreaking. I can only imagine what that must have felt like. Sorry a place that was so special to you was treated like that.
Great subject matter, and I look forward to a "tragedy of the commons" video. Also, terrific shirt!
Love the new intro and great to have you back. Great discussion of the topic and looking forward to your discussion of the tragedy of the commons.
-JJ
Enjoyed the video, ESS are so vitally important and commonly overlooked. Good that you're bringing more attention to their importance
Great video and with much necessary information
Looking forward to your Tragedy of the Commons video! I always feel pretty conflicted about translating ecological declines into dollar values, for all the reasons you mentioned and because I don't know what would be a better way to help people conceptualize those ideas as tangible aspects of all of our lives. I'd really like to find a better way, because I think, ultimately, putting a dollar value to something tends to imply it can be replaced with that many dollars, and that's just not a helpful way of thinking about ecology (or anything, really)
I completely agree!
Sweet new intro!
I'll tell you who owns everything , mother nature 😊
Can I ask, which ecosystem service do wildflowers fall under
That's a great question! I would say they fall under a few. Wildflowers provide cultural ecosystem services to people who enjoy looking at them, and they provide supporting services because they are part of the food webs of their respective ecosystems.
I'd like to see a video on the tragedy of the commons. It's come into a fair amount of controversy lately both for claims it mostly fails as a predictive model, and from some of Hardin's reprehensible views that perhaps coloured the model.
On the other hand, I've seen the tragedy in action. A local wetland produces cranberries. For many years, people went in, collected enough for themselves and some friends, and left. Then about 8 yrs ago, word got out, and some of the people coming in brought the huge scoops that rake through the shrubs, taking ripe and unripe berries alike as well as stripping and breaking branches. Pathways destroyed berry patches as people walked into the centers of patches. These people were walking back to their cars carrying the big white buckets filled with cranberries.
I've stopped picking cranberries for myself now as the resource is under too much pressure and is badly degrading.
So, I'm curious as to your take on this.
P.S. I'm exhausted from field work too this year (six different projects and I was travelling back and forth to different sites hundreds of kms apart; and right now I'm supposed to be in James Bay lowlands except my knee finally rebelled and said, "enough").
Wow, your cranberry bog story is heartbreaking. I can only imagine what that must have felt like. Sorry a place that was so special to you was treated like that.