No Going Back: The Political Ethics of Ecological Novelty

Abstract

This chapter argues that ecological novelty, a condition where new species and mixes of species come to form persistent communities with no precedent, holds unavoid- able implications for science. It argues that the “Edenic” sciences focusing on these ecol- ogies—conservation biology, invasion biology/ecology, and restoration ecology—though extremely valuable, are inherently political. Though this has always been the case, the rapid changes in environments around us have made the political implications of these sciences harder to ignore or disguise. As such, these fi elds will necessarily need to evolve an ethical procedure to adjudicate between ecological interventions, rather than depend- ing on restorative or originary criteria. Further, the evolution of these criteria and stan- dards will be rooted in principles that come to terms with the political implications and character of scientists and scientifi c practice within broader diverse publics. Finally, sci- entifi c education will require the creation of a new set of standards for the instruction of ecological science, ones that better accept the role of anthropogenesis in ecological futures,and foster politically refl exive future scientists and citizens