On an increasingly crowded planet, efforts to maintain the diversity of life and ecological services that people, in turn, rely on, become increasingly challenging and urgent. Conservation is thus an expression of both human values and practical self-interest. As with all efforts to craft the course of our common social future, the outcome of conservation efforts depends largely on our own creativity, ingenuity, and determination. It may require questioning some of our assumptions and conventional wisdom, devising new solutions for old problems, and coming to grips with an increasingly complex and interrelated world where issues must be addressed at local, national, and global scales.
Over fifty years ago, American conservationist Aldo Leopold asked if we were making progress ‘out on the back forty’- the physical landscape where conservation efforts take place. The aim of The Back Forty is to continue the exploration of that question in search of ideas and strategies that provide both inspiration and impact.
This site aims to highlight progressive and innovative thinking about effective biodiversity and ecosystem conservation issues in all of their social, institutional, and biophysical dimensions. A strong emphasis will be placed on examining the underlying economic and political causes of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, and formulating effective strategies in response to these fundamental challenges.
The Back Forty will do this by providing news, longer feature articles, reviews of books and journal publications, and the most useful links to cutting edge conservation ideas. Ultimately, the site’s purpose is to become a leading source of information exchange for conservation practitioners around the world, not only from the site’s own postings but from the comments and submissions of readers within the broader community of conservationists. In an effort to follow the principles of adaptive management, the site’s content will change according to feedback received in relation to its overall aims.
The site was created and is managed by Fred Nelson, an American by birth who has worked on conservation issues, primarily in eastern Africa, for the past 10 years. Submissions of articles, notes, and commentaries by readers are welcome and can be sent to the Back Forty. The site has been established as a result of the generous support of the Alexander Foundation.
