Ethical Leadership in Organizations Essay

Ethical leadership is leadership that is involved in leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others. As leaders are by nature in a position of social power, ethical leadership focuses on how leaders use their social power in the decisions they make, actions they engage in and ways they influence others. Leaders who are ethical demonstrate a level of integrity that is important for stimulating a sense of leader trustworthiness, which is important for followers to accept the vision of the leader. Leaders who are ethical are people-oriented, and also aware of how their decisions impact others, and use their social power to serve the greater good instead of self-serving interests. Motivating followers to put the needs or interests of the group ahead of their own is another quality of ethical leaders. Motivating involves engaging others in an intellectual and emotional commitment between leaders and followers that makes both parties equally responsible in the pursuit of a common goal. Ethical leadership falls within the nexus of inspiring, stimulating, and visionary leader behaviours that make up transformational and charismatic leadership. Ethical leaders assist followers in gaining a sense of personal competence that allows them to be self-sufficient by encouraging and empowering them. What is Ethical Leadership? One typical response to the â€Å"ethics crisis† in business is a clarion call for more â€Å"ethical leadership,† yet there are few explanations of what exactly is meant by the term. Many executives and business thinkers believe that ethical leadership is simply a matter of leaders having good character. By having â€Å"the right values† or being a person of â€Å"strong character,† the ethical leader can set the example for others and withstand any temptations that may occur along the way. Without denying the importance of good character and the right values, the reality of ethical leadership is far more complex and the stakes are much higher. Over the past 25 years, in talking to executives in a number of industries about the problems of how to lead in a world of great change—globalization, democratization, and incredible technological advances—we have identified a number of touchstones for the idea of â€Å"ethical leadership.† Our experience is often contrary to the picture of business executives one finds in public discussion where they are often seen as greedy, competitive, and only concerned with compensation. In fact most executives want to be effective in their jobs and to leave their companies and the world a better place, creating value on both fronts for those whose lives they affect. Our view of ethical leadership takes into account not only the leader but also his constituents (followers and key stakeholders), the context or situation that the leader and constituents face, the leader’s processes and skills, and the outcomes that result. Leaders are first and foremost members of their own organizations and stakeholder groups. As such, their purpose, vision, and values are for the benefit of the entire organization and its key stakeholders. â€Å"Leaders see their constituents as not just followers, but rather as stakeholders striving to achieve that same common purpose, vision, and values. These follower and stakeholder constituents have their own individuality and autonomy which must be respected to maintain a moral community.† Ethical leaders embody the purpose, vision, and values of the organization and of the constituents, within an understanding of ethical ideals. They connect the goals of the organization with that of the internal employees and external stakeholders. Leaders work to create an open, two-way conversation, thereby maintaining a charitable understanding of different views, values, and constituents’ opinions. They are open to others’ opinions and ideas because they know those ideas make the organization they are leading better. Characteristics of Ethical Leaders In today’s turbulent world, ethics and values are present at a number of levels for executives and managers—leaders who devote their time and energy to leading the process of value creation. This broader concept of ethical leadership empowers leaders to incorporate and be explicit about their own values and ethics. The following list provides a framework for developing ethical leadership. It is based on the observations of and conversations with a host of executives and students over the past 25 years, and on readings of both popular and scholarly business literature. Written from the perspective of the leader, these ten facets of ethical leaders offer a way to understand ethical leadership that is more complex and more useful than just a matter of â€Å"good character and values.† â€Å"It is important for leaders to tell a compelling and morally rich story, but ethical leaders must also embody and live the story. This is a difficult task in today’s business environment where everyone lives in a fishbowl—on public display. So many political leaders fail to embody the high-minded stories they tell at election time, and more recently, business leaders have become the focus of similar criticism through the revelations of numerous scandals and bad behaviours. CEOs in today’s corporations are really ethical role models for all of society.† 1. Articulate and embody the purpose and values of the organization. Following a series of unethical activities by Citigroup employees in Japan in 2004, new CEO Chuck Prince fired several executives, publicly accepted responsibility and bowed apologetically to Japanese officials. Not only did Prince’s message resonate within Japan, but it also signalled a new era of â€Å"shared responsibility† within the culture of Citigroup where every employee was expected to take ownership for their decisions that affected the enterprise. 2. Focus on organizational success rather than on personal ego. Ethical leaders understand their place within the larger network of constituents and stakeholders. It is not about the leader as an individual, it is about something bigger—the goals and dreams of the organization. Ethical leaders also recognize that value is in the success of people in the organization. In 1998, in a bold gesture demonstrating how he valued the company’s line employees, Roger Enrico, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, chose to forego all but $1 of his salary, requesting that PepsiCo, in turn, contribute $1 million to a scholarship fund for employees’ children. In a similar manner, the founders of JetBlue began a process of matching, from their salaries, employee donations to a charity. Today, their entire salaries go to the JetBlue Crewmember Catastrophic Plan charity, to assist staff with crises not covered by insurance. The point of these examples is not that ethical leaders donate their salaries to charities, but rather that ethical leaders identify and act on levers, such as employee loyalty, that drive organizational success. 3. Find the best people and develop them. This task is fairly standard in different models of leadership. Ethical leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people precisely because they see it as a moral imperative—helping them to lead better lives that create more value for themselves and for others. Finding the best people involves taking ethics and character into account in the selection process. â€Å"Ethical leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people† Many CEOs have said to us that judging someone’s integrity is far more important than evaluating their experience and skills. Yet, in many organizations, employees are hired to fill a particular skill need with little regard to issues of integrity. 4. Create a living conversation about ethics, values and the creation of value for stakeholders. Too often business executives think that having a laminated â€Å"values card† in their wallet or having a purely compliance approach to ethics has solved the â€Å"ethics problem.† Suffice it to say that Enron and other troubled companies had these systems in place. What they didn’t have was a conversation across all levels of the business where the basics of value creation, stakeholder principles and societal expectations were routinely discussed and debated. There is a fallacy that values and ethics are the â€Å"soft, squishy† part of management. Nothing could be further from the truth. In organizations that have a live conversation about ethics and values, people hold each other responsible and accountable about whether they are really living the values. And, they expect the leaders of the organization to do the same. Bringing such a conversation to life means that people must have knowledge of alternatives, must choose every day to stay with the organization and its purpose because it is important and inspires them. Making a strong commitment to bringing this conversation to life is essential to do if one is to lead ethically. Most people know the story of Johnson and Johnson’s former CEO Jim Burke and the Tylenol product recall in the 1980s in which, at a great short-term financial cost, he pulled all potentially tampered-with products off the shelves, thereby keeping the public’s trust intact. The less well-known background to this story, however, is critical to understanding the final outcome. Well before the Tylenol crisis hit, Johnson & Johnson had held a series of â€Å"challenge meetings† all around the world, where managers sat and debated their â€Å"Credo,† a statement of their purpose and principles of who they wanted to be as a company. The conversation about ethics at Johnson & Johnson was alive, and in many ways made Jim Burke’s choice about handling the situation clearer than it otherwise would have been. 5. Create mechanisms of dispute. This needs to be made part of the organizational culture, not just a line item in a compliance program document. Some companies have used anonymous e-mail and telephone processes to give employees a way around the levels of management that inevitably spring up as barriers in large organizations. Many executives also have used â€Å"skip level† meetings where they go down multiple levels in the organization to get a more realistic view of what is actually going on. General Electric’s famous â€Å"workout† process—where workers meet to decide how to fix problems and make the company better—was a way for front line employees to push back against the established policies and authority of management. All of these processes lead to better decisions, more engaged employees, and an increased likelihood of avoiding damaging mistakes. In a company that takes its purpose or values seriously, there must be mechanisms of pushing back to avoid the values becoming stale and dead. Indeed, many of the current corporate scandals could have been prevented if only there were more creative ways for people to express their dissatisfaction with the actions of some of their leaders and others in the companies. The process of developing these mechanisms of dissent will vary by company, by leadership style, and by culture, but it is a crucial leadership task for value creation in today’s business world. 6. Take a charitable understanding of others’ values. Ethical leaders can understand why different people make different choices, but still have a strong grasp on what they would do and why. Following twenty-seven years in South African prisons, Nelson Mandela was still able to see the good in his jailers. After one particularly vicious jailer was being transferred away from Robbins Island because of Mandela’s protest and push back, the jailer turned to Mandela and stated â€Å"I just want to wish you people good luck.† Mandela interpreted this statement charitably as a sign that all people had some good within them, even those caught up in an evil system. Mandela felt that it was his responsibility to see this good in people and to try and bring it out. One CEO suggested that instead of seeing ethical leadership as preventing people from doing the wrong thing, we need to view it as enabling people to do the right thing. 7. Make tough calls while being imaginative. Ethical leaders inevitably have to make a lot of difficult decisions, from reorienting the company’s strategy and basic value proposition to making individual personnel decisions such as working with employees exiting the organization. Ethical leaders do not attempt to avoid difficult decisions by using an excuse of â€Å"I’m doing this for the business.† The ethical leader consistently unites â€Å"doing the right thing† and â€Å"doing the right thing for the business.† The idea that â€Å"ethical leadership† is just â€Å"being nice† is far from the truth. Often, exercising â€Å"moral imagination† is the most important task. Mohammed Yunus founded the Grameen Bank on such moral imagination. By taking the standard banking practice of only lending to people with collateral, and turning it on its head, Yunus spawned an industry of micro-lending to the poor. The Grameen Bank’s motto is that poverty belongs in a museum. In addition to having one of the highest loan repayment rates in the banking industry, the bank’s program of lending to poor women in Bangladesh to start businesses has helped millions of them to be able to feed themselves. 8. Know the limits of the values and ethical principles they live. All values have limits, particular spheres in which they do not work as well as others. The limits for certain values, for instance, may be related to the context or the audience in which they are being used. Ethical leaders have an acute sense of the limits of the values they live and are prepared with solid reasons to defend their chosen course of action. Problems can arise when managers do not understand the limits of certain values. As an example, one issue common to the recent business scandals was that managers and executives did not understand the limits of â€Å"putting shareholders first.† Attempts to artificially keep stock prices high—without creating any lasting value for customers and other stakeholders—can border on fanaticism rather than good judgment. Ethics is no different from any other part of our lives: there is no substitute for good judgment, sound advice, practical sense, and conversations with those affected by our actions. 9. Frame actions in ethical terms. Ethical leaders see their leadership as a fully ethical task. This entails taking seriously the rights claims of others, considering the effects of one’s actions on others (stakeholders), and understanding how acting or leading in a certain way will have effects on one’s character and the character of others. There is nothing amoral about ethical leaders, and they recognize that their own values may sometimes turn out to be a poor guidepost. The ethical leader takes responsibility for using sound moral judgment. But, there is a caution here. It is easy to frame actions in ethical terms and be perceived as â€Å"righteous.† Many have the view that ethics is about universal, inviolable principles that are carved into stone. We need to start with principles and values, and then work hard to figure out how they can be applied in today’s complex global business environment. Principles, values, cultures, and individual differences often conflict. Ethical leadership requires an attitude of humility rather than righteousness: a commitment to one’s own principles, and at the same time, openness to learning and to having conversations with others who may have a different way of seeing the world. Ethics is best viewed as an open conversation about those values and issues that are most important to us and to our business. It is a continual discovery and reaffirmation of our own principles and values, and a realization that we can improve through encountering new ideas.

School Laws Article

There is a need for a teacher to be a good example and a role model to the students. This is the only way that the students will be able to improve especially when they are having serious problem. In this case, the dean was very influential and after realizing what she had done to get where she is, most student are likely to be disappointed and frustrated. Her resignation means that the students will no longer fight for their freedom and this is likely to cause anxiety or even protest among the students. In addition, the dean is guilty of false pretence, if the university sues her; she is likely to pay them for damages. The reason is that for such a prestigious university to have such a case, the credibility of the university and its officials is likely to suffer as people might think that some of the professors who are teaching are not genuine professors at all. This is also likely to affect the education in the institution and the number of people who are attends it. It is therefore a complete negative publicity to the university. Article 2 The district superintendent should try to convince the PR Director of the importance of the use of the new technology to the students. He should try to convince him that a school is an institution that is supposed to assist students get useful knowledge so that they can become useful persons later on in their life. However, with the outdated phone lines and other electronic systems, there are chances that the school only wastes the student’s time. The reason is that the information that they are given is only outdated. This means that after they get out to the real world they will have to learn again so that they can fit in the society. There is therefore a need to upgrade these machines to assist the students. With such statements and such conviction, the district superintendent will assure the PR Director that even though they will spend a lot of money on this upgrade. This is because it saves a lot, as the students will no longer need to learn again. In addition, the new system will be more efficient and therefore more likely to give better results. Together, they should follow the right procedure and see to it that they have achieved their mission. Article 3 In a school setting, the first priority should be to the students. The only way to achieve this is to have the best team of teachers and other staff in line. The best team also has some disadvantages and therefore one should be prepared for this. In the first case of the renewal of chief’s contract, I would also do the same case. I would not care about what people or teachers think of feels, I would still renew the contract of Superintendent Sandra Schroeder, as she is still very effective and competent in her duties. In addition, I would reinstate the four teachers fired. They are very competent and without them, there is a chance that the school will go down. There are some mischievous students in every class and it is not advisable to fire a teacher simply because she tried to correct these students. It is clear that the strike has a great influence on the student’s learning. A sizeable portion of students failed to attend the classes due to the strike. What the drivers wanted are their rights. Everyone has a right to a better and a happy life and I feel that they should have that. I would therefore organize for a sitting so that we can negotiate with them and have solution on the issue. An instance where a superintendent can handle a similar situation is the case where a worker may be discriminated because the immediate boss does not like him. In such a case, the superintendent may fail the reason for firing such a person and may act competently. Article 4 It is necessary to understand that the students who are in school are there with the main aim of acquiring knowledge. These students happen to have different levels of knowledge and different personal attributes. It is therefore clear that there will be diverse personalities in the classroom. In addition, just because a teacher has some believes does not mean that all the students should have the same believe. This is the reasons why there is a syllabus and some books to offer guidance. This further means that whether it is the teacher, the administration or the society in general, personal attributes or rather personal values should not interfere with class teaching. Personal values and believes are not universal. They are unique from one person to the next and therefore if they interfere with what we are teaching in class, there is a chance that the teaching itself will be biased. There is also a possibility that effective teaching, which is the main aim of every teacher will not be there. Article 5 Campaigns do not come all the time and at the same time, they are very expensive. Proper planning for them should be there. In this case, I would first admit that this was a very serious blunder on all mails were sent to children. Secondly, I would gather all correct details concerning the parents and hire another company, which would send apology letter to all those parents whose children received previous mails. I would convene a meeting with the board members and explain to them what happened. I would clearly explain to them that the company we hired caused the mishap. I would assure them that next time we have a campaign, such an incident will not take place. To the media outlet, I would only give a brief explanation that whatever happened was a mistake by the company that we hired.

Purpose of Life Essay

Are you really contented with your life? Do you even know the real purpose of life here on Earth? What is your purpose for waking up everyday? Why can you hear, see, smell, talk and think? What are you here for? Every life here on Earth has their own purpose of existence. The plants, they play a huge role on maintaining the cleanliness of our planet and the air we breathe. The animals, they serve as our food and source of life. But us humans, do we know our purpose? Of course, many would say yes, but then again is that our real purpose for living? According to the book â€Å"40 days of purpose† by Rick Warren, there are consequences of not knowing your purpose. One is, without knowing your purpose life will seem tiresome. Because if you do not know your purpose and so confusion will take control of you, and when that happens you just go with the flow like the river flowing into the sea. You just go round and round and back again. Second, without knowing your purpose life will seem unfulfilling. Like the saying goes history merely repeats itself because there is no contentment, no satisfaction at all. No matter how much we have we still ask for more. Third, without knowing your purpose life will seem uncontrollable. We often do things we think is right, but actually we are being deceived by the knowledge the world has put into us and not by our own knowledge that God has given us. But on the other hand, if you will know your purpose of living, there are also benefits from it. First, knowing the purpose of your life will give your life focus. Just like in a team, every team has one purpose and that is to attain a certain goal. Next is, knowing the purpose of your life will simply your life. In here comes fulfillment, contentment, joy and satisfaction. Third, knowing the purpose of your life will increase motivation in your life. Every good and bad things that happen in this world has a reason and a purpose, and it’s for us to find out. We only need to strive, work and be patient to discover it. Lastly, knowing the purpose of your life will prepare you for eternity. We all know that nothing is permanent in this world, we will all die in the future. But the question is are we ready when that time comes? Are we able to comply with the purpose where God has placed us? If you feel tired, unfulfilled and uncontrollable then it means that you are still in the process of knowing your purpose. But, if you are focused, living a simple life, motivated and prepared for the future, for eternity then you are living the purpose of God in your life. And so are you living with the purpose or are you leaving your purpose? Thank you! And God bless!

Analysis of Kate Chopins Short Stories The Feminist Analysis Essay

Analysis of Kate Chopins Short Stories The Feminist Analysis - Essay Example She fainted at the sight of Mr. Mallard and eventually the doctor declared that she died of the joy that kills. Nevertheless, that is not all to the story. The author shows how females are quietly held by their necks by their male partners at a time when norms placed women in houses to take care of the household chores and attend to the needs of their husbands and children. In this paper, an analysis of the story’s feminist entreaties will be discussed in detail. Women in the past centuries have been burdened with their perceived roles as housekeepers and child-caregivers set by the norms of patriarchal culture. During the author’s time, one of the popular media used in expressing one’s ideologies is through stories. This is evident in the aforementioned story. Here, Josephine is used to represent the women who are quite content to accept the norms and are bound to perform their duties without question. Louise on the other hand is the portrayal of women who want more than just being a housekeeper. Nevertheless, since it is a taboo for women to pursue their dreams, she acquired heart trouble from her situation. When Louise locked herself in her room, she thought of her husband. â€Å"She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her† (Chopin). Her husband was a gentleman but that was not enough for Louise’s adventurous and revolutionary heart. She wanted to go to various places, meet other people and be as free as the wind. She never experienced those while she was married because even though her husband is kind and loving, he was a â€Å"powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature† (Chopin). Louise was never free to assert herself in the

Personal Essays for Medical School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Personal Essays for Medical School - Essay Example I believe that the institution has a high regard for the underprivileged and the minority, which is a very important feature I have considered in my choice of a learning institution. Apart from the recognition of cultural diversity, I seek a university which places high premium in leadership development. I have been actively engaged in both school and community work that represent a strong sense of service to others. One such stint was my stay with the American Red Cross Bloodmobile through which I have seen the value of serving indigent minorities. Another community initiative I took part in is Tutor Experts which is a venue for providing high quality tutoring for the youth who want to improve their academic performance. I have had a similar teaching stint with the Making Changes Freedom School, emphasizing more complicated facets of adolescent development such as coping up with the challenges of violence, drugs, and alcohol. One program that allowed me to showcase my leadership skills is my membership with the Chicanos in Health Education, a student-run group at UC Berkeley that focuses on minimizing health disparities that confront the Latino community. To allow me to have a realistic preview of the medical profession, I undertook a summer internship at The California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco in 2003 followed by another internship at the Sharp Chula Vista Hospital in San Diego in 2005. I have also created and facilitated a Decal (Democratic Education at Cal) class entitled â€Å"Introduction to University Life: An Immigrant Perspective.† This course addresses some of the main obstacles of the immigrant student. I have helped create the Peer Mentoring Program to give voice to the needs of Cal students from immigrant backgrounds in adjusting to Berkeley’s complex learning environment. A similar program I have spearheaded is the Community College Resources and

Wk9(31) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk9(31) - Essay Example I asked him why he thought these things were not fair and I encouraged him to give it more meaning for him. 3. "It makes me feel very good". This is a phrase that many people say but that was difficult for my friend because he does not know how he feels most of the time. He has other health issues so I encouraged him to talk about how the other health issues relate to his use of medicinal marijuana. 4. "Youre kiddin me! " Another phrase like #1 but it is used when my friend wants to communicate a fact that he finds intriguing and at the same time amazing. He would say this in relationship to my requests about the legal ramifications of his using the marijuana. At the end of the conversation I paraphrased what he had said to make sure that I had all the "facts" correct. My friend said that he had a good conversation and was happy that he could help me with my school project. The difference between eliciting a comment and giving meaning to something a client says is best served by examples. When one is eliciting a comment from a client, the therapist is asking for more information about something specific. As an example, a client may be talking about their daughter and how they are angry with them. The therapist might ask, "so you are pretty upset with your daughter for [blank]". The client will most likely say something like, "yes, I am." This example shows how one might elicit a comment from a client. On the other hand, the therapist may state, "tell me more about that." In this way, the therapist is asking for more information about the reasons why this individual is so angry at their daughter and asking for a deeper meaning than, "because she wont listen to me". Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett (2010) suggest that when you use eliciting or reflection you are using whichever one is appropriate for the specific situation you are in (p. 324). When I would ask a client about the fact that she is upset with her daughter, I would

Proposal Assignment ( University Safety System ) Essay

Proposal Assignment ( University Safety System ) - Essay Example Even though keeping student and occupants of Texas Wesleyan University require the effort of the whole community in general, the university is an important piece of the undertaking to keep staff and the students safe. Safe institutions are purposeful and orderly places in which staff and students are free to teach and learn without the threat of psychological and physical harm. The safety systems in Texas Wesleyan University are weak thus Weak safety systems in this institution interfere with learning process. Strengthening safety system supports a proper learning environment that enables achievement of learning goals. Moreover, Weak safety systems reduce effective learning hours of every student. This has an impact on the grades and general life development. Improving safety systems will enhance their quality of education and life. It is therefore important to create a safety system for camps and the other utilities in Texas Wesleyan University Analysis of Texas Wesleyan University safety system shows certain safety loopholes that require an action plan. As Blake (2 May 2014) states through an interview, Texas Wesleyan University do not have a perimeter wall to enhance physical safety, no surveillance cameras within the older dormitories and the students do not use access cards at the gates and the classes to gain access. Other problems he stated are drunk driving and the few call boxes which are necessary to enhance emergency action system. Increasing student population increases demand for safety systems. Unsafe learning environments will affect learning process. Old technology cannot beat with faster changing demands and different student needs. People play a vital role in any safety program. This is because they provide guidelines with respect to safety policies, staffing, training and procedures. Texas Wesleyan University must come up with a clear safety policy. University safety policy is the

Moral Issues Regarding Animal Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10

Moral Issues Regarding Animal Rights - Essay Example The concept of the right would result in the fact that that the government acknowledges that some actions are forbidden in relation to animals. In addition to that, the definition of an animal should include any organism, no matter if it is wild or domesticated. Finally, the idea of harm argues that people should not torture or kill animals in case it is not justified by other aspects. For example, slaughtering a pig that was bred for it is acceptable as it a part of ham production, but torturing any animals should be recognized as an unacceptable action. There is one more peculiar point that should be noted in particular: different cultures have developed their own attitude towards animals. Thus, for Europeans killing a pig or a cow is a matter of food production. On the other hand, the Hindu believe that a cow is a sacred animal, while Jews and Arabs point out that pigs are filthy and their meat is forbidden to be eaten by their religion. That is why while working out the position towards rights of animals, the humanity should agree on some kind of a unified vision of it. Speaking of the arguments that are able to contribute to the validity of the statement that was mentioned above one is able to mention quite a few. First of all, it is often thought that developing a special attitude towards animals that includes recognition of their rights reflects the humanistic values that are being promoted by mankind. Secondly, in case people pay more attention to the living of animals, this will allow the former to contribute to finding harmony with the natural world. This is extremely important, keeping in mind the destructive impact that the activity of the people has had on the environment in the past few centuries. In other words, this will help people to reconcile with the environment and build a better and more productive relationship with it.

Project Planning And Services Operations Management Assignment

Project Planning And Services Operations Management - Assignment Example The Museum has in print several books by straight digital files. The exhibition of 40 outstanding images, by photojournalist Alberto Arzoz, tourist attractions the challenges the Crow face as they describe their position inside American humanity even as preserving their exclusive artistic inheritance. This phase is planned to provide as a guide to scheduling and maintaining visitor satisfaction project for museum. It covers the digitizing of two-dimensional artwork, such as original photographs, prints, drawings, and glass-plate negatives and visitors satisfaction with comments and remarks; library assets such as maps; and other visual resources. The document will assist project managers in museums, and archives gain a inclusive considerate of the issues linked to creating a high-quality digital archive and visitors information related to exhibitions for access or protection, or both. It analyzes the tasks occupied in choosing a process for capturing the unique basis material and the comments linked with upward the digital archive to provide a broad variety of uses and users. Scheduling for such uses as the Web, collections-management systems, exhibition details, and high-end book of visitors is also discussed. The scope of the project and the uniqueness of the basis materials interpret into image-capture provision and dealings for edifice a collection of digital images of visitors during exhibition. The project ought

The Arab-Israeli Conflict Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Arab-Israeli Conflict - Research Paper Example More so, Arab nationalism emerged due to the shared language, Islamic religion, as well as the history of the Middle East region and so Arab nationalist, hoped for political cooperation via the Arab League. Notably, Arab nationalism developed at the end of the eighteenth century to oppose European colonialism in the region. Arab nationalist radicals perceived Israel as their enemy not only because of their injustice against their colleagues in Palestine but also Israeli’sclose relation with the western imperialist aspirations especially concerning oil reserves towards the region.The Arab nationalism was, therefore, a significant cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict since it enabled the Arab nations to have a common enemy and this gave them strength to fight against Zionism as well as the western power. Ideally, the Arab states are supposed to join forces and remain unified towards the achievement of the common goals, opposing Israel. However, in practice, this is not always the case as their relations are more determined by conflict as opposed to cooperation. Notably, Israel is one of the leading factors contributing to the disintegration of the Arab nations and this is why all Arab states highly oppose it. Despite their differences, Arab states remain united in opposing Israel because according to them, individuals from different Arab states including those living in Palestine form one nation but Israel interfered with the sacred rights of this nation.

Short story Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Short story Critique - Essay Example nt even know the girl.†, â€Å"Which meant this place was just where the young lady would sleep and live right before being called back to the hospital for another long night†, â€Å"something ancient...something powerful†. The title of the story hints of philosophical content whereas the content points more towards mysticism. Even after reading the whole story we never really find out who Mr. Parish was. In this regard, the story bears a sense of incompleteness. ‘Jessica’ might not be the real identity of the girl. She remains just as a â€Å"dead body† who lived in the house and was enrolled at the local hospital. This story has numerous strengths. The picture of crime scene in the beginning, of Mr. Hannay himself, the entrance room and above all about Mr. Parish- his appearance and expressions- are all picturesque- â€Å"jogging pants and a sweat shirt†, â€Å"his green eyes almost seemed made of glass†. They are very much lively and vivid. Moreover, the story is capable of holding t reader’s interest till the very end. Every segment of the story is tightly bound to one single theme and the readers become excited, frightened and enthralled to discover the true identity of Mr. Parish. Somehow, a casual reading of the text does not reveal what made Mr. Parish kill a so- called Jessica, a girl he doesn’t even know. The author could have further developed her character. Also, Mr. Hannay’s character could have been more informative. The dialogues perfectly suit to the situations. There is no excess flow of emotions. Nowhere are they exaggerated, but the readers can very well perceive Robert’s eagerness and worries, Julie’s likings, and Mike’s casual feelings. Comparatively dialogues are fewer in first half of the story. But they make the ending a brilliant one. In the first half of the story, the motive of â€Å"The Closet† is not stated clearly. The reader wanders around senior high school manners, prom- night conventions and ceremonies, until one

Technological society Essay Example for Free

Technological society Essay Nowadays, in a highly technological society, human productivity is made more efficient through the development of electronic gadgets. Now, with the advent of such modernization in education, one way to globalize the process of research is to realize that technology is advancing at an incredibly fast pace. Computers are not confined to being used for entertainment but its role in education is also vast. In School, reading materials are stored in libraries. Library is a place in which books and related materials are kept for use but not for sale. It is also organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or a private individual. In addition, it is a place in which we get information in any format and from many sources. The librarian has to keep the room neat so that it is conducive for learning. The librarian is also the person who is liable for monitoring all the books that are borrowed and returned by the borrowers. The proponents will propose the Simple Library System for Benigno Aquino Jr. High School Annex located at Bagong Silang Caloocan City. The Head Librarian stated that they are currently using the Dewey Decimal Library System. They are still utilizing a manual system. The library users and the librarian still use card catalogues in searching for reading materials and use index card for the records of borrowed and returned books. The proponent’s study was what is which encounter to the Library by the user, Librarian and how the Owner or the Administrator of the said school will provide a good service to their clients to have a good feedback. The study will focus on transaction which done inside the Library like borrowing, returning of books by students, faculties and staffs. In this area, the usage of computerized library system is needed because it is more easy and obviously it saves paper compare to the manual library and it saves a lot more time. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The proponents choose the Benigno Aquino Jr. High School, Located at Phase 3 Bagong Silang Caloocan City. Simple Library System is a process of organizing important information, used to track items borrowed and the scheduled time of returning. This system helps users or people who responsible in recording the data appropriately, it also saves time and more convenient to use than the traditional manual recording. Lack of library system in a school can lead to chaos and troubles, and because of it the librarian is having a problem to serve each students and faculties who wish to use the library. It is extremely useful in the school to use that automated system. From this simple term paper. The librarian can easily monitor the transactions of every students. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The part of documentation states the purpose or the objective of the proponents in developing their proposed system. It is divided into two parts, the General Objective, which is the objective of the study as a whole and the Specific Objectives, a much defined and detailed enumeration of the objective of the proponents. General Objectives Aside from developing an easier way of evaluating the library, this study aims to improve the system and making it more accessible for both students and faculty. Specific Objectives The following are the list of specific objectives of the proponents in developing this system: 1. To upgrade the style or method of the library they have. 2. To lessen the time consumed. 3. To provide a more reliable and effective library system. 4. To provide a faster way of their transactions.

Role of the Photographer in Preserving Wilderness

Role of the Photographer in Preserving Wilderness Wildlife Photography Synopsis This dissertation addresses the relationship between people and the environment, specifically that which is now described as the wild. The term wilderness is applied to both the land and the marine environments and looks at how the wilderness came to be defined as such. It looks at the difficulties in determining protective measures and ensuring they are effective and fit for purpose. Fit for purpose obviously begs the question as to fit for whose purpose and this pivotal question exposes the delicate balance between allowing access to the wild and protecting the wild from mans access. In the face of this tension, and conflict of interest, many agencies across the world have tried various ways to balance the needs and desires of mans subsistence and recreational activities in the wild. When successful, they achieve public support to help preserve the wilderness and raise revenue to help fund the monitoring and policing of management policies to those areas. This dissertation looks at the measures that have been introduced to protect and preserve the wild. It also explores the problems facing the trusts and agencies charged with defining land and marine management policies and the importance of engaging the various publics with their vested interests. It is in the capacity of promoting the beauty and the diversity of life in the wilds of the lands and waters,and their importance to the ecosystems and food chains, that the photographer is able to play a role in helping protect these threatened regions of the earth. The photographers role in helping educate and disseminate information to raise the profile of the fragility of the wild is an important one. Their pictures speak to the range of stakeholders provide visual messages vital in securing public support and that of their respective governments to secure long-term protection of these ever-decreasing regions. Introduction This study explores the concept of wilderness, how it, and nature in general, is depicted by advertisers, the mass-media, e.g., books, television, magazines etc. and how, in turn, this depiction may influence the ways people then relate to and interact with nature. I then look at the influence of photography and the role of the photographer specialising in nature photography to help preserve what is loosely called wilderness in a world dominated by industry, tourism, transportation and consumerism all ever greedy for natural resources. The tension between the demand for access to, and usage of, unspoiled or wild environments and the negative impact that such access has on those environments is a difficult land/marine management problem. Britain and America both have conservation and wilderness protection legislation, as do some other countries, but have had to accept that people want to interact with nature itself. Part of their solution has been to define the concept of wilderness, define the levels of access and type of interaction and manage the area to ensure it is being used responsibly and respectfully. Naturally, the definition of wilderness itself is subject to debate and the rigour with which responsible access and usage of the wild environments is policed depends on many factors. There can be economic drivers that actively promote poaching and habitat destruction, e.g., the ivory trade, illegal but extremely lucrative or traditional Chinese medicine that uses parts from animals, including endangered species in its practise. If people are poor and face a life of hardship it is easy to see how making a lot of money from poaching or illegal animal trading, for example, could tempt them. Patrolling and protecting lands, waters and indigenous life requires funding. It requires a government to value them and enshrine the values in laws and legislation. It requires foreign governments to outlaw the import or trade of exotic plant and animal life and in doing so, stop funding the poachers and hunters. It requires money to provide wardens or patrols. It requires education. It may not be possible to educate people to value their lands and animals above their own survival but it might be possible to educate them into thinking of ways to make money from the environment, by showcasing nature in its natural environment. But how much interaction? And what forms can such interaction take? These are the dilemmas facing many countries around the world. The photographer can play an educative role. This role can be one of raising awareness of the value of the habitats, ecosystems and the sheer beauty of the diversity of life on earth. In this way, they can play a part in promoting a public, even global, consciousness and value of the planet, not just for the needs of today but also for that of successive generations. Many photographers specialising in photography of the wild are actively involved in campaigning for conservation or preserving such wilderness as is left on earth and work with various agencies aligned to common goals. I hope to demonstrate that photographers working in alliance with other agencies make a positive difference that help persuade public opinion and governmental response into valuing what is left of our unspoiled environments. The Role of the Human in Environmental Change As a species, our environmental impacts have increased, and intensified at an almost exponential rate. Mans ability to adapt and modify and shape the environment, changing its natural state to make it suitable to accommodate our needs, demands and desires is unparalleled by any other species. It is this ability to master and dominate nature, accepted almost as an entitlement, that constitutes an ideology which is shared by practically every society on the planet, through the means of globalisation (Goudie, 2000). For example, tribal societies hunt and gather food and resources, post-Neolithic groups began the domestication of livestock, and sowed the first seeds of agriculture. Even the construction of the grand canal in ancient China are all examples of the anthropogenic shaping and control over nature throughout early human history. The impetus driving these developments has generally been the necessity to provide for the needs of a growing and successful population, be it food, clothing, shelter or to further the spiritual expression of the people. (Ponting 1991). And still, Homo Sapiens is the only species which has created its own nature calling it culture, or civilisation. This â€Å"second nature† maybe started as a gradual, progressive alienation and divergence from the natural biosphere as a seemingly â€Å"natural† progression on mans evolutionary path. However, as mans skills in developing tools for agriculture, hunting and industrialisation grew, the rate of change intensified. Mans power to consume, appropriate and exploit nature to fulfil ever diversifying â€Å"needs† from driving the Huia, an Australasian wattle bird, to extinction for the sole purpose of decorating Europeans hats (CNN, 1999), to clearing rainforest to make space for grazing and crop growing is virtually unchecked and unchallenged. While these are just two unrelated and isolated examples, the demands of supplying and servicing global requirements for resources are seemingly endless. The message that the German Advisory Council for Global Environmental Change (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltverà ¤nderungen, WBGU) placed at the beginning of its annual assessment for the year 2000 was Breathless and fragmented, the world rushes into the new millennium. Ten years on, there has been no slow down. (WBGU, 2001) According to Mongabay (2009), over eighty percent of cleared forest land from created between 1996 and 2006 has been used to create pasture for cattle. If this prolific rate of deforestation over the last decade wasnt enough, the Brazilian government intends to double its share of the world beef market to 60% by 2018. Such decimation and destruction cannot be justified by only a clear business rationale. For example, the practise of clearing rainforest to enable cattle grazing, etc., is worth economically less than the cleared forest originally was. Yet mans desire to trade one of the largest biologically diverse, in many ways unique, and visually stunning ecosystems for cheap burgers and hot coffee continues. Despite the many organisations, campaign groups and societies all working for the protection, conservation and re-naturalisation of the Earths environs, the WBGU presented the worlds environment as one in constant crisis. Total global fossil fuel consumption (coal, oil and natural gas) rose to 7,956 million metric tons. Carbon dioxide emissions reached 6,553 million tons in 2001, amounting to a record concentration of 384 ppm carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, 2007). The capacity of the 436 nuclear reactors operating in over 35 countries reached 351 gigawatts and the economic mega-machine on which all these achievements rested, produced a record annual gross world product of US $40.5 trillion in 1999 (1998 prices). (WGBU, 2001) These high profits come at the expense of the health of the environment, accelerating its deterioration. Franz Broswimmer (2001) coined the term ecocide, for his book â€Å"Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass Extinction of Species† In it, he writes about the destructive processes, the ways in which human beings have constructed their relation to their surrounding environments, being responsible for, as well as legitimising, negative human impact on global ecosystems, which he claims date back over 5000 years, though others claim that this â€Å"ecocide† began long before this, for instance, the extinction of the Woolly Mammoth is arguably attributed to human hunters some 11000 years ago, according to Martin (2005). Conservation Conservation is a means of managing the resources of an ecosystem while protecting it from depletion and destruction, avoiding change and accumulation of man-made artefacts. This allows us to benefit from the ecosystem indefinitely. Long into the future, managed use and sensible precautions will prevent the degradation of a habitat, protecting the species within it. There are countless reasons for natural conservation, not only can our continued survival depend on its existence (the natural processes of plant life provide us with oxygen, recycle carbon dioxide from the air, insects and fungi help decompose biological litter and waste, which in turn fertilize plants, which then grow more efficiently, providing more and better fruits and crops, which then feed us or animals which we hunt or eat). Each of these processes is reliant on other variables being maintained, a concept key to that of conservation. If the biological resources are managed properly, they are effectively renewable; resources which will become ever more important as fossil fuel reserves become increasing expensive and rare. Conservation of Species Many geographically remote islands and peninsulas are rich in endemic species plants and animals that are found nowhere else. Due to their geographic isolation, and the millions of years since life has had a chance to populate it, small populations have gradually adapted and evolved to their environment. This genetic isolation is important as it contains a wealth of genetic information that is unique, these genes may hold futures cures and manufacturing processes that we have yet to realise. Unfortunately these island populations are relatively small, and with such little habitat available to them, they are susceptible to habitat loss, and since they originally formed from small populations, they are genetically very similar, the introduction of a disease can cause large proportions to die, and the resulting lack of genetic diversity can lead to the eventual extinction as mutations become more and more common. Introduced species like rats and even cats are responsible for causing the extinction of species. Many extinctions from the last century have been those of endemic island species, even more are now endangered. The protection of these genetic reserves should be one of an island peoples highest priorities, while this is often difficult to balance with the populations needs, which conflict with those of the habitat, such as water sewage, agriculture and transport infrastructure. Protecting these endemic species is a difficult task, the high level diversity, and the fact the entire population is in one place, coupled with the fact that the population has needs, this results in islands having far higher ratios of endangered species per head of the population than anywhere else. If a balance is not struck in time, these species are gone forever. Protected Areas for Conservation Every country or island has at least some area that needs to be protected, the habitat in question varies, coral reef, bog-land, forest, sand dune, within these areas may be rare or endangered species of plant or animal, or these may be complete and important ecosystems as yet untouched by development. These areas may serve a variety of purposes, from being historic importance, tourism, or refuge for species harvested outside of that area, or protecting against bad weather- for instance, sand dunes and wetlands protect against storm surges by dissipating wave energy over those lands, without damaging coastal towns. These spaces often have laws protecting individual species, from While there is some legislation which protects certain species against hunting, interference, or a closed season for them to breed and recover, these laws do not protect species or the habitat these species rely on in many cases, and among the best protection we can offer them is to set aside their habitat, and minimise human interaction to avoid disturbance. Because of this most countries, provinces and islands create reserves, or national parks. Reserves by their nature tend to have a smaller purpose, where the national parks are large open areas, available to the public for recreational activities that do not damage. These areas act as safe places for multitudes of animals and plants, encourage tourism- providing income for peoples, or for protecting natural resources that may pass through that area, such as drinkable water. While it is governments who usually have the land and the power to be able to actually designate reserves and National Parks, public awareness needs to be raised concerning the reason these lands have been protected This will help to ensure that the visiting public respect them, ensuring that they last for future generations. The governments of developing nations do not often have the resources to fully protect and police these places, and rely on the public and outside assistance, either from charities or tourism money to help protect them. There are cases where these reserves are not treated properly, with harvesting and poaching taking place, causing these areas to fail. Other than protecting the natural world, these places allow scientific research to be conducted helping us to understand what makes these species and lands special, as well as providing a context in which the public can be educated in the importance of the natural world. This is especially important when so many people use supermarkets for their food, distancing them from the origins of their food. This education can also be useful in helping people understand their own history, as well as their national and cultural heritage. Individual Conservation Actions If we are to keep as much of our resources as renewable as possible, there is a necessity to keep conservation at the heart of any initiative. Maintaining all the elements of the ecosystem allows these initiatives to be most productive, as everybody uses these resources in some way to some degree. There are ways that everybody can give something back, contributing to conservation as a whole. Governments alone will generally find it difficult to set enough land aside to include large expanses of varying habitats. From forest and reef, to wetlands and savannah, especially considering the differing needs of both the land itself and society as a whole. From conservation and research to recreation and sustainable harvesting. However, with the aid of local groups and land owners (especially in those countries that are governed regionally, or by tribal groups) people can organise their own resources. In protecting these resources and by extension the habitat and biodiversity, they protect their own interests, whether they are economic or cultural. Farmers, along with other land owners have the opportunity to manage their land so that they are able to protect their resources, allowing their soil to remain fertile, firewood and other woodland etc. produce to be gathered regularly, as well as ensuring water is kept clean for drinking and gardens etc. On top of this, on difficult or unused areas trees can be planted, allowing for extra diversity and extra resources over the medium to long term, when a tree is finally cut down, another can be replanted to ensure supplies for the future. Traditional Conservation While it is always the case, many peoples living in remote areas and islands, who have and still practice their traditional way of life, live in harmony with their surroundings, knowing when a resource is available, and how much can readily be used. Plants taken for food, medicine or any other reason often have a seed placed where the previous plant grew, ensuring that not only is diversity maintained, but that the resource is effectively renewable. This intimate knowledge of their own surroundings was passed down from generation to generation, but as development and modernisation encroach on those remote areas in ways previously impossible, this knowledge is not maintained, and ways of life are forgotten in favour of the luxuries modern life brings. What is the Wilderness? Where does the man-made landscape end and nature begin? First, we must begin by looking at the definition of â€Å"wilderness†, and whether any definitions for it is fixed in meaning or looser and therefore able to accommodate shifts in societies perception of the relative states between urban and nature. We can start by looking at some definitions of wilderness. (n) a region uncultivated and uninhabited; a pathless, unfrequented or unexplored region; such a region deliberately preserved from the inroads of tourism; a desolate waste of any kind e.g. an extent of open sea (poetic); a part of a garden or estate allowed to run wild, or cultivated in imitation of natural woodland; an overgrown tangle of weeds, etc.; conditions of life, or a place, in which the spirit feels desolate; the situation of being without public office or influence, or of being forgotten by the public, after playing a leading role; the present world; a large confused or confusing assemblage; wildness (obs). -Chambers (2008) â€Å"Wilderness is the landscape which contains only the plants and animals native to it. Where man is alone with the living earth. Where there is neither fixed nor mechanical artefact. Once this environment was everywhere, now only relics remain. Yet in these places are the original bonds between man and the earth. In these are the roots of all religion, history, art, and science. In renewing these links lies the enduring value of wilderness to man.† (Feely, 2008) It is difficult to fit either definition to any area on earth today. Pollution, mass transportation, the introduction of non-native insects, plant or animal, into alien habitats (sometimes accidental, sometimes deliberate), the effects of acid rain, radioactive and chemical contamination, the effects of the depletion of the ozone layer on the Earths waters, air, soil and seabed, amongst other things, all contaminate and despoil that which we would call wild and render these definitions void. How do we relate to wilderness? The media regularly portrays nature as mans bounty, there for the taking, as and when we want, with ever more exotic fruits and ingredients are used in the production of shampoos and beauty creams. This type of portrayal promotes an abundance of nature; that there is plenty of everything, there is no deficit. Another interesting depiction of nature is that of a challenge to man. Programmes such as The Deadliest Catch shows man battling with the forces of nature, in this case, the harsh extremes of the Bering Sea while crab fishing (The Deadliest Catch, 2005). These portrayals serve to promote a certain mythos about the planet. That it is still wild, unspoilt, untouched. However, these depictions are inaccurate. According to some reports, just 17% of the worlds landmass is still considered unspoiled or wild [8] and that is only in relative terms. There is no absolute wilderness left. But how can this depiction be countered. How do we educate and promote conservation? Boyd Norton is a photographer and ardent campaigner for the preservation of the wild. In an extract from his soon-to-be-released book Serengeti: the stillness of the eternal beginning (Norton, 2008) he talks about the wealth of wildlife and the spirit of place that the Serengeti has. The Serengeti has a large preserved area, some 10,000 sq miles when the protected areas around it are included. Yet, he states how small it is, an island in a sea of man. For Norton, the Serengeti is the land of our beginnings. He states that we are all Africans, that paeleo-anthropologists and DNA sleuths can trace the origin of our species to the Serengeti ecosystem. He says it is there we became more human as a species; transformed from quadrupeds to bipeds and man was still an intricate part of the wilderness. He talks of how man lived within zones, probably dictated by how much ground could be covered in one day or the range that was sufficiently safe for man to travel on a hunting foray, etc. However, the wilderness also offered temptations to encroach further. Other foods, plants, berries, animals etc., that could sustain and support human life lay out there. That range probably changed with seasons and weather patterns. Norton claims that it all started with the Serengeti. He refers to a quote from Carl Jung, visiting the Serengeti for the first time: â€Å"A most intense sentiment of returning to the land of my youth†. Norton relates to this and believes something resonates, perhaps in the molecules of our DNA or our genes, that trigger occasional memories of our origins. What some might call an organic memory.He feels that same sense of returning home whenever he travels to the Serengeti and explains his passion for that wild land. He maintains that it remains the stillness of the eternal beginning. He campaigns vigorously for the protection of the Serengeti and other wild lands across the world. (Norton, 2008) Ed Burtynsky (Nickel Tailings No. 31,Sudbury, Ontario 1996) Contrasting the works of many environmental photographers is Burtynsky, his images are always evidence of human activities, often taken on a scale that seems to defy belief, often the subject of the image is opposite to nature, a polluting force in the landscape, whether these are marble quarries, mountains of used car tyres or oil derricks, the concept of a pristine habitat does not occur in his images, but the concept of wilderness is embodied, of landscapes so transformed by our actions that they go beyond urban, and are once again wild. Unlike Adams who never included humans or human activity in his images, Burtynsky always references human activity in some way, often in subtle ways, with only the caption or title of the image giving up the secret of how we have disfigured the landscape. These images are very deliberate, often creating beauty from polluted and sick land. This kind of disfigurement does not intrinsically attract the same kind of support that photographers like Ada ms or Peschak did or has, though as his website demonstrates, he considers himself a fine art photographer, and has a large number of corporate clients, including those most likely to create this landscapes including Oil and Construction companies. Suggesting that his images are aesthetically pleasing enough for those companies to display them with disregard to the obvious environmental damage they have caused in creating them. The 1964 Wilderness Act Ansel Adams (Lake Macdonald 1942) The United States was the first country in the world to define, designate and protect large ecologically important tracts of land as wilderness. It not only created a working definition of wilderness but also enshrined it in the 1964 Wilderness Act, as â€Å"lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition† and â€Å"generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of mans work substantially unnoticeable â€Å"(Zahniser, 1964). It allowed for the understanding and acknowledgement that any wild area would still be affected by human activities â€Å"the imprint of mans work substantially unnoticeable†. The Wilderness Act of 1964 was a landmark event in ecological terms, it was the institutionalisation of a concept, it described the wilderness as â€Å"an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain†. Its very definition then, was a place where vehicles would not be allowed to traverse, where no permanent camps or structures would be allowed and resources could not be harvested or exploited. Wildlife and its habitat would be maintained as unspoiled as humanly possible. (Zahniser, 1964) Ansel Adams was a 20th century photographer and also a tireless worker and activist for protection of the wilderness and the environment. He was the force behind the 1964 Wilderness Act in the USA. His passion for nature saw him almost constantly travelling through the United States, photographing the natural beauty. As a photographer his images become iconic not only for their beauty, but also for representing the wilderness of America. Adams had stated that he never consciously taken an image for environmental purposes, but his work with the Sierra Club, and the many thousands of letters he wrote and meetings he was involved in support for conservation, and the creation of national parks were in no doubt related to his passion for nature and his belief it should be preserved, his images may not have been taken for those purposes but in his beliefs were embodied within them, Even today people think of the national parks with the epic beauty and magnificence that Adams infused within his images. Adams biography entry in the American National Biography mentions that his images did not simply record and document the environment but â€Å"sought an intensification and purification of the psychological experience of natural beauty†, the purpose these images had no doubt made them powerful tools for changing perceptions of nature and the environment for the American public and government officials. The Act helped to create the National Wilderness Preservation System, and raised American awareness regarding the nations National parks and wild lands. This legislative act created a new and novel way of preserving not only land and visual beauty, but also habitat, ensuring that rare plants and animals were protected. Its creation led to millions of acres designated as the newly protected wilderness. Instead of barring all human interaction, recreational activities like hiking, camping, kayaking and other outdoor activities are provided for. These areas, therefore, are protected from industrial exploitation but sustain leisure, tourism and recreation industries, which are much smaller in scale, with less ecological damage than heavy industry. It gives the land back, not only to the people of today but also future generations. It provides opportunities to experience nature as natural as possible the â€Å"great outdoors† and escape the ever increasing hustle and bustle of a m odern industrial and mechanised lifestyle. The Act allows for a man-managed or man-sustained wilderness as opposed to a natural wilderness. But does this definition go far enough? Is it realistic and sustainable? Roz McClellan the director of the Rocky Mountain Recreation Initiative (NTTP, 2007) asserts that a workable definition needs to accept mans interaction AND the management of the environment. She asserts that any definition of wilderness has to incorporate reasonable interaction from man, in such a way that would uphold American principles of multiple use, providing access within defined parameters. This can mean, for example, prohibiting certain activities during mating seasons or when weather conditions have left the environment more vulnerable than usual. McClellan argues that any new definition should provide for the â€Å"widest possible range of mutually compatible, sustainable services and outputs†. These could include outputs such as potable water, control of soil erosion, water table control, study and research, fishing as well as including leisure activities. To be sustainable, however, these must not interfere with or reduce the long term capacity of any of the ecosystems restorative abilities. The key term here is not compromise. This is where the concept of land management starts to creep in. Without some form of monitoring and control the potential for destructive behaviours and interactions would go unchecked. So, the opportunities to experience natural earth present administrative challenges that lie outside of the definition of wilderness. The Wilderness Foundation UK The Wilderness Foundation UK (Wilderness Foundation, 2008) is a UK-based organisation which operates over a number of countries, including UK, South America and the United States. It is an organisation which promotes the benefits of wild areas and creates a connection between people and nature without the use of permanent or mechanic artefacts. They promote a return to nature and oppose large scale destructive building plans, such as the expansion of airports, for example. Their approach is holistic and all-embracing of man as part of nature. As Albert Einstein reflected: A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Einstein, 1932) Measuring the effectiveness of land management The problem of defining the wilderness in order to protect it is problematic enough but is compounded by the added complexity of then understanding how the relationships generated between people and protected lands affect, and are affected by, the management policies, actions and plans put into place to manage them. After all, defining and protecting nature is, ultimately, on mans terms. But which men? The terms may not be entirely appropriate, however well-intentioned, and may preclude the activities of native tribes and their land. Managing the land effectively, then, includes identifying any sources of conflict between the varying and different demands placed on the wilderness. This is important for understanding the influences the management policies may have on any conflicts of interest. The type of factors to be considered include the contrasting values of wilderness for visitors and natives, as well as local, rural and distant urban stakeholders. The understanding of these relationships is especially relevant to those groups who have used the wilderness for subsistence Role of the Photographer in Preserving Wilderness Role of the Photographer in Preserving Wilderness Wildlife Photography Synopsis This dissertation addresses the relationship between people and the environment, specifically that which is now described as the wild. The term wilderness is applied to both the land and the marine environments and looks at how the wilderness came to be defined as such. It looks at the difficulties in determining protective measures and ensuring they are effective and fit for purpose. Fit for purpose obviously begs the question as to fit for whose purpose and this pivotal question exposes the delicate balance between allowing access to the wild and protecting the wild from mans access. In the face of this tension, and conflict of interest, many agencies across the world have tried various ways to balance the needs and desires of mans subsistence and recreational activities in the wild. When successful, they achieve public support to help preserve the wilderness and raise revenue to help fund the monitoring and policing of management policies to those areas. This dissertation looks at the measures that have been introduced to protect and preserve the wild. It also explores the problems facing the trusts and agencies charged with defining land and marine management policies and the importance of engaging the various publics with their vested interests. It is in the capacity of promoting the beauty and the diversity of life in the wilds of the lands and waters,and their importance to the ecosystems and food chains, that the photographer is able to play a role in helping protect these threatened regions of the earth. The photographers role in helping educate and disseminate information to raise the profile of the fragility of the wild is an important one. Their pictures speak to the range of stakeholders provide visual messages vital in securing public support and that of their respective governments to secure long-term protection of these ever-decreasing regions. Introduction This study explores the concept of wilderness, how it, and nature in general, is depicted by advertisers, the mass-media, e.g., books, television, magazines etc. and how, in turn, this depiction may influence the ways people then relate to and interact with nature. I then look at the influence of photography and the role of the photographer specialising in nature photography to help preserve what is loosely called wilderness in a world dominated by industry, tourism, transportation and consumerism all ever greedy for natural resources. The tension between the demand for access to, and usage of, unspoiled or wild environments and the negative impact that such access has on those environments is a difficult land/marine management problem. Britain and America both have conservation and wilderness protection legislation, as do some other countries, but have had to accept that people want to interact with nature itself. Part of their solution has been to define the concept of wilderness, define the levels of access and type of interaction and manage the area to ensure it is being used responsibly and respectfully. Naturally, the definition of wilderness itself is subject to debate and the rigour with which responsible access and usage of the wild environments is policed depends on many factors. There can be economic drivers that actively promote poaching and habitat destruction, e.g., the ivory trade, illegal but extremely lucrative or traditional Chinese medicine that uses parts from animals, including endangered species in its practise. If people are poor and face a life of hardship it is easy to see how making a lot of money from poaching or illegal animal trading, for example, could tempt them. Patrolling and protecting lands, waters and indigenous life requires funding. It requires a government to value them and enshrine the values in laws and legislation. It requires foreign governments to outlaw the import or trade of exotic plant and animal life and in doing so, stop funding the poachers and hunters. It requires money to provide wardens or patrols. It requires education. It may not be possible to educate people to value their lands and animals above their own survival but it might be possible to educate them into thinking of ways to make money from the environment, by showcasing nature in its natural environment. But how much interaction? And what forms can such interaction take? These are the dilemmas facing many countries around the world. The photographer can play an educative role. This role can be one of raising awareness of the value of the habitats, ecosystems and the sheer beauty of the diversity of life on earth. In this way, they can play a part in promoting a public, even global, consciousness and value of the planet, not just for the needs of today but also for that of successive generations. Many photographers specialising in photography of the wild are actively involved in campaigning for conservation or preserving such wilderness as is left on earth and work with various agencies aligned to common goals. I hope to demonstrate that photographers working in alliance with other agencies make a positive difference that help persuade public opinion and governmental response into valuing what is left of our unspoiled environments. The Role of the Human in Environmental Change As a species, our environmental impacts have increased, and intensified at an almost exponential rate. Mans ability to adapt and modify and shape the environment, changing its natural state to make it suitable to accommodate our needs, demands and desires is unparalleled by any other species. It is this ability to master and dominate nature, accepted almost as an entitlement, that constitutes an ideology which is shared by practically every society on the planet, through the means of globalisation (Goudie, 2000). For example, tribal societies hunt and gather food and resources, post-Neolithic groups began the domestication of livestock, and sowed the first seeds of agriculture. Even the construction of the grand canal in ancient China are all examples of the anthropogenic shaping and control over nature throughout early human history. The impetus driving these developments has generally been the necessity to provide for the needs of a growing and successful population, be it food, clothing, shelter or to further the spiritual expression of the people. (Ponting 1991). And still, Homo Sapiens is the only species which has created its own nature calling it culture, or civilisation. This â€Å"second nature† maybe started as a gradual, progressive alienation and divergence from the natural biosphere as a seemingly â€Å"natural† progression on mans evolutionary path. However, as mans skills in developing tools for agriculture, hunting and industrialisation grew, the rate of change intensified. Mans power to consume, appropriate and exploit nature to fulfil ever diversifying â€Å"needs† from driving the Huia, an Australasian wattle bird, to extinction for the sole purpose of decorating Europeans hats (CNN, 1999), to clearing rainforest to make space for grazing and crop growing is virtually unchecked and unchallenged. While these are just two unrelated and isolated examples, the demands of supplying and servicing global requirements for resources are seemingly endless. The message that the German Advisory Council for Global Environmental Change (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltverà ¤nderungen, WBGU) placed at the beginning of its annual assessment for the year 2000 was Breathless and fragmented, the world rushes into the new millennium. Ten years on, there has been no slow down. (WBGU, 2001) According to Mongabay (2009), over eighty percent of cleared forest land from created between 1996 and 2006 has been used to create pasture for cattle. If this prolific rate of deforestation over the last decade wasnt enough, the Brazilian government intends to double its share of the world beef market to 60% by 2018. Such decimation and destruction cannot be justified by only a clear business rationale. For example, the practise of clearing rainforest to enable cattle grazing, etc., is worth economically less than the cleared forest originally was. Yet mans desire to trade one of the largest biologically diverse, in many ways unique, and visually stunning ecosystems for cheap burgers and hot coffee continues. Despite the many organisations, campaign groups and societies all working for the protection, conservation and re-naturalisation of the Earths environs, the WBGU presented the worlds environment as one in constant crisis. Total global fossil fuel consumption (coal, oil and natural gas) rose to 7,956 million metric tons. Carbon dioxide emissions reached 6,553 million tons in 2001, amounting to a record concentration of 384 ppm carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, 2007). The capacity of the 436 nuclear reactors operating in over 35 countries reached 351 gigawatts and the economic mega-machine on which all these achievements rested, produced a record annual gross world product of US $40.5 trillion in 1999 (1998 prices). (WGBU, 2001) These high profits come at the expense of the health of the environment, accelerating its deterioration. Franz Broswimmer (2001) coined the term ecocide, for his book â€Å"Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass Extinction of Species† In it, he writes about the destructive processes, the ways in which human beings have constructed their relation to their surrounding environments, being responsible for, as well as legitimising, negative human impact on global ecosystems, which he claims date back over 5000 years, though others claim that this â€Å"ecocide† began long before this, for instance, the extinction of the Woolly Mammoth is arguably attributed to human hunters some 11000 years ago, according to Martin (2005). Conservation Conservation is a means of managing the resources of an ecosystem while protecting it from depletion and destruction, avoiding change and accumulation of man-made artefacts. This allows us to benefit from the ecosystem indefinitely. Long into the future, managed use and sensible precautions will prevent the degradation of a habitat, protecting the species within it. There are countless reasons for natural conservation, not only can our continued survival depend on its existence (the natural processes of plant life provide us with oxygen, recycle carbon dioxide from the air, insects and fungi help decompose biological litter and waste, which in turn fertilize plants, which then grow more efficiently, providing more and better fruits and crops, which then feed us or animals which we hunt or eat). Each of these processes is reliant on other variables being maintained, a concept key to that of conservation. If the biological resources are managed properly, they are effectively renewable; resources which will become ever more important as fossil fuel reserves become increasing expensive and rare. Conservation of Species Many geographically remote islands and peninsulas are rich in endemic species plants and animals that are found nowhere else. Due to their geographic isolation, and the millions of years since life has had a chance to populate it, small populations have gradually adapted and evolved to their environment. This genetic isolation is important as it contains a wealth of genetic information that is unique, these genes may hold futures cures and manufacturing processes that we have yet to realise. Unfortunately these island populations are relatively small, and with such little habitat available to them, they are susceptible to habitat loss, and since they originally formed from small populations, they are genetically very similar, the introduction of a disease can cause large proportions to die, and the resulting lack of genetic diversity can lead to the eventual extinction as mutations become more and more common. Introduced species like rats and even cats are responsible for causing the extinction of species. Many extinctions from the last century have been those of endemic island species, even more are now endangered. The protection of these genetic reserves should be one of an island peoples highest priorities, while this is often difficult to balance with the populations needs, which conflict with those of the habitat, such as water sewage, agriculture and transport infrastructure. Protecting these endemic species is a difficult task, the high level diversity, and the fact the entire population is in one place, coupled with the fact that the population has needs, this results in islands having far higher ratios of endangered species per head of the population than anywhere else. If a balance is not struck in time, these species are gone forever. Protected Areas for Conservation Every country or island has at least some area that needs to be protected, the habitat in question varies, coral reef, bog-land, forest, sand dune, within these areas may be rare or endangered species of plant or animal, or these may be complete and important ecosystems as yet untouched by development. These areas may serve a variety of purposes, from being historic importance, tourism, or refuge for species harvested outside of that area, or protecting against bad weather- for instance, sand dunes and wetlands protect against storm surges by dissipating wave energy over those lands, without damaging coastal towns. These spaces often have laws protecting individual species, from While there is some legislation which protects certain species against hunting, interference, or a closed season for them to breed and recover, these laws do not protect species or the habitat these species rely on in many cases, and among the best protection we can offer them is to set aside their habitat, and minimise human interaction to avoid disturbance. Because of this most countries, provinces and islands create reserves, or national parks. Reserves by their nature tend to have a smaller purpose, where the national parks are large open areas, available to the public for recreational activities that do not damage. These areas act as safe places for multitudes of animals and plants, encourage tourism- providing income for peoples, or for protecting natural resources that may pass through that area, such as drinkable water. While it is governments who usually have the land and the power to be able to actually designate reserves and National Parks, public awareness needs to be raised concerning the reason these lands have been protected This will help to ensure that the visiting public respect them, ensuring that they last for future generations. The governments of developing nations do not often have the resources to fully protect and police these places, and rely on the public and outside assistance, either from charities or tourism money to help protect them. There are cases where these reserves are not treated properly, with harvesting and poaching taking place, causing these areas to fail. Other than protecting the natural world, these places allow scientific research to be conducted helping us to understand what makes these species and lands special, as well as providing a context in which the public can be educated in the importance of the natural world. This is especially important when so many people use supermarkets for their food, distancing them from the origins of their food. This education can also be useful in helping people understand their own history, as well as their national and cultural heritage. Individual Conservation Actions If we are to keep as much of our resources as renewable as possible, there is a necessity to keep conservation at the heart of any initiative. Maintaining all the elements of the ecosystem allows these initiatives to be most productive, as everybody uses these resources in some way to some degree. There are ways that everybody can give something back, contributing to conservation as a whole. Governments alone will generally find it difficult to set enough land aside to include large expanses of varying habitats. From forest and reef, to wetlands and savannah, especially considering the differing needs of both the land itself and society as a whole. From conservation and research to recreation and sustainable harvesting. However, with the aid of local groups and land owners (especially in those countries that are governed regionally, or by tribal groups) people can organise their own resources. In protecting these resources and by extension the habitat and biodiversity, they protect their own interests, whether they are economic or cultural. Farmers, along with other land owners have the opportunity to manage their land so that they are able to protect their resources, allowing their soil to remain fertile, firewood and other woodland etc. produce to be gathered regularly, as well as ensuring water is kept clean for drinking and gardens etc. On top of this, on difficult or unused areas trees can be planted, allowing for extra diversity and extra resources over the medium to long term, when a tree is finally cut down, another can be replanted to ensure supplies for the future. Traditional Conservation While it is always the case, many peoples living in remote areas and islands, who have and still practice their traditional way of life, live in harmony with their surroundings, knowing when a resource is available, and how much can readily be used. Plants taken for food, medicine or any other reason often have a seed placed where the previous plant grew, ensuring that not only is diversity maintained, but that the resource is effectively renewable. This intimate knowledge of their own surroundings was passed down from generation to generation, but as development and modernisation encroach on those remote areas in ways previously impossible, this knowledge is not maintained, and ways of life are forgotten in favour of the luxuries modern life brings. What is the Wilderness? Where does the man-made landscape end and nature begin? First, we must begin by looking at the definition of â€Å"wilderness†, and whether any definitions for it is fixed in meaning or looser and therefore able to accommodate shifts in societies perception of the relative states between urban and nature. We can start by looking at some definitions of wilderness. (n) a region uncultivated and uninhabited; a pathless, unfrequented or unexplored region; such a region deliberately preserved from the inroads of tourism; a desolate waste of any kind e.g. an extent of open sea (poetic); a part of a garden or estate allowed to run wild, or cultivated in imitation of natural woodland; an overgrown tangle of weeds, etc.; conditions of life, or a place, in which the spirit feels desolate; the situation of being without public office or influence, or of being forgotten by the public, after playing a leading role; the present world; a large confused or confusing assemblage; wildness (obs). -Chambers (2008) â€Å"Wilderness is the landscape which contains only the plants and animals native to it. Where man is alone with the living earth. Where there is neither fixed nor mechanical artefact. Once this environment was everywhere, now only relics remain. Yet in these places are the original bonds between man and the earth. In these are the roots of all religion, history, art, and science. In renewing these links lies the enduring value of wilderness to man.† (Feely, 2008) It is difficult to fit either definition to any area on earth today. Pollution, mass transportation, the introduction of non-native insects, plant or animal, into alien habitats (sometimes accidental, sometimes deliberate), the effects of acid rain, radioactive and chemical contamination, the effects of the depletion of the ozone layer on the Earths waters, air, soil and seabed, amongst other things, all contaminate and despoil that which we would call wild and render these definitions void. How do we relate to wilderness? The media regularly portrays nature as mans bounty, there for the taking, as and when we want, with ever more exotic fruits and ingredients are used in the production of shampoos and beauty creams. This type of portrayal promotes an abundance of nature; that there is plenty of everything, there is no deficit. Another interesting depiction of nature is that of a challenge to man. Programmes such as The Deadliest Catch shows man battling with the forces of nature, in this case, the harsh extremes of the Bering Sea while crab fishing (The Deadliest Catch, 2005). These portrayals serve to promote a certain mythos about the planet. That it is still wild, unspoilt, untouched. However, these depictions are inaccurate. According to some reports, just 17% of the worlds landmass is still considered unspoiled or wild [8] and that is only in relative terms. There is no absolute wilderness left. But how can this depiction be countered. How do we educate and promote conservation? Boyd Norton is a photographer and ardent campaigner for the preservation of the wild. In an extract from his soon-to-be-released book Serengeti: the stillness of the eternal beginning (Norton, 2008) he talks about the wealth of wildlife and the spirit of place that the Serengeti has. The Serengeti has a large preserved area, some 10,000 sq miles when the protected areas around it are included. Yet, he states how small it is, an island in a sea of man. For Norton, the Serengeti is the land of our beginnings. He states that we are all Africans, that paeleo-anthropologists and DNA sleuths can trace the origin of our species to the Serengeti ecosystem. He says it is there we became more human as a species; transformed from quadrupeds to bipeds and man was still an intricate part of the wilderness. He talks of how man lived within zones, probably dictated by how much ground could be covered in one day or the range that was sufficiently safe for man to travel on a hunting foray, etc. However, the wilderness also offered temptations to encroach further. Other foods, plants, berries, animals etc., that could sustain and support human life lay out there. That range probably changed with seasons and weather patterns. Norton claims that it all started with the Serengeti. He refers to a quote from Carl Jung, visiting the Serengeti for the first time: â€Å"A most intense sentiment of returning to the land of my youth†. Norton relates to this and believes something resonates, perhaps in the molecules of our DNA or our genes, that trigger occasional memories of our origins. What some might call an organic memory.He feels that same sense of returning home whenever he travels to the Serengeti and explains his passion for that wild land. He maintains that it remains the stillness of the eternal beginning. He campaigns vigorously for the protection of the Serengeti and other wild lands across the world. (Norton, 2008) Ed Burtynsky (Nickel Tailings No. 31,Sudbury, Ontario 1996) Contrasting the works of many environmental photographers is Burtynsky, his images are always evidence of human activities, often taken on a scale that seems to defy belief, often the subject of the image is opposite to nature, a polluting force in the landscape, whether these are marble quarries, mountains of used car tyres or oil derricks, the concept of a pristine habitat does not occur in his images, but the concept of wilderness is embodied, of landscapes so transformed by our actions that they go beyond urban, and are once again wild. Unlike Adams who never included humans or human activity in his images, Burtynsky always references human activity in some way, often in subtle ways, with only the caption or title of the image giving up the secret of how we have disfigured the landscape. These images are very deliberate, often creating beauty from polluted and sick land. This kind of disfigurement does not intrinsically attract the same kind of support that photographers like Ada ms or Peschak did or has, though as his website demonstrates, he considers himself a fine art photographer, and has a large number of corporate clients, including those most likely to create this landscapes including Oil and Construction companies. Suggesting that his images are aesthetically pleasing enough for those companies to display them with disregard to the obvious environmental damage they have caused in creating them. The 1964 Wilderness Act Ansel Adams (Lake Macdonald 1942) The United States was the first country in the world to define, designate and protect large ecologically important tracts of land as wilderness. It not only created a working definition of wilderness but also enshrined it in the 1964 Wilderness Act, as â€Å"lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition† and â€Å"generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of mans work substantially unnoticeable â€Å"(Zahniser, 1964). It allowed for the understanding and acknowledgement that any wild area would still be affected by human activities â€Å"the imprint of mans work substantially unnoticeable†. The Wilderness Act of 1964 was a landmark event in ecological terms, it was the institutionalisation of a concept, it described the wilderness as â€Å"an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain†. Its very definition then, was a place where vehicles would not be allowed to traverse, where no permanent camps or structures would be allowed and resources could not be harvested or exploited. Wildlife and its habitat would be maintained as unspoiled as humanly possible. (Zahniser, 1964) Ansel Adams was a 20th century photographer and also a tireless worker and activist for protection of the wilderness and the environment. He was the force behind the 1964 Wilderness Act in the USA. His passion for nature saw him almost constantly travelling through the United States, photographing the natural beauty. As a photographer his images become iconic not only for their beauty, but also for representing the wilderness of America. Adams had stated that he never consciously taken an image for environmental purposes, but his work with the Sierra Club, and the many thousands of letters he wrote and meetings he was involved in support for conservation, and the creation of national parks were in no doubt related to his passion for nature and his belief it should be preserved, his images may not have been taken for those purposes but in his beliefs were embodied within them, Even today people think of the national parks with the epic beauty and magnificence that Adams infused within his images. Adams biography entry in the American National Biography mentions that his images did not simply record and document the environment but â€Å"sought an intensification and purification of the psychological experience of natural beauty†, the purpose these images had no doubt made them powerful tools for changing perceptions of nature and the environment for the American public and government officials. The Act helped to create the National Wilderness Preservation System, and raised American awareness regarding the nations National parks and wild lands. This legislative act created a new and novel way of preserving not only land and visual beauty, but also habitat, ensuring that rare plants and animals were protected. Its creation led to millions of acres designated as the newly protected wilderness. Instead of barring all human interaction, recreational activities like hiking, camping, kayaking and other outdoor activities are provided for. These areas, therefore, are protected from industrial exploitation but sustain leisure, tourism and recreation industries, which are much smaller in scale, with less ecological damage than heavy industry. It gives the land back, not only to the people of today but also future generations. It provides opportunities to experience nature as natural as possible the â€Å"great outdoors† and escape the ever increasing hustle and bustle of a m odern industrial and mechanised lifestyle. The Act allows for a man-managed or man-sustained wilderness as opposed to a natural wilderness. But does this definition go far enough? Is it realistic and sustainable? Roz McClellan the director of the Rocky Mountain Recreation Initiative (NTTP, 2007) asserts that a workable definition needs to accept mans interaction AND the management of the environment. She asserts that any definition of wilderness has to incorporate reasonable interaction from man, in such a way that would uphold American principles of multiple use, providing access within defined parameters. This can mean, for example, prohibiting certain activities during mating seasons or when weather conditions have left the environment more vulnerable than usual. McClellan argues that any new definition should provide for the â€Å"widest possible range of mutually compatible, sustainable services and outputs†. These could include outputs such as potable water, control of soil erosion, water table control, study and research, fishing as well as including leisure activities. To be sustainable, however, these must not interfere with or reduce the long term capacity of any of the ecosystems restorative abilities. The key term here is not compromise. This is where the concept of land management starts to creep in. Without some form of monitoring and control the potential for destructive behaviours and interactions would go unchecked. So, the opportunities to experience natural earth present administrative challenges that lie outside of the definition of wilderness. The Wilderness Foundation UK The Wilderness Foundation UK (Wilderness Foundation, 2008) is a UK-based organisation which operates over a number of countries, including UK, South America and the United States. It is an organisation which promotes the benefits of wild areas and creates a connection between people and nature without the use of permanent or mechanic artefacts. They promote a return to nature and oppose large scale destructive building plans, such as the expansion of airports, for example. Their approach is holistic and all-embracing of man as part of nature. As Albert Einstein reflected: A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Einstein, 1932) Measuring the effectiveness of land management The problem of defining the wilderness in order to protect it is problematic enough but is compounded by the added complexity of then understanding how the relationships generated between people and protected lands affect, and are affected by, the management policies, actions and plans put into place to manage them. After all, defining and protecting nature is, ultimately, on mans terms. But which men? The terms may not be entirely appropriate, however well-intentioned, and may preclude the activities of native tribes and their land. Managing the land effectively, then, includes identifying any sources of conflict between the varying and different demands placed on the wilderness. This is important for understanding the influences the management policies may have on any conflicts of interest. The type of factors to be considered include the contrasting values of wilderness for visitors and natives, as well as local, rural and distant urban stakeholders. The understanding of these relationships is especially relevant to those groups who have used the wilderness for subsistence