Three really effective habits of conservationists

Conservationists are certainly not without their annoying habits and stereotypes.  Overdeveloped sense of righteousness?  Definitely.  Inability to gauge friends' interest in the Latin names of plants?  Check.  Frequent abuse of patchouli?  Possibly.  Many of us are guilty of these and many more.  But TNC's David Cleary picks three habits  that don't make our list.  Habits that, in fact, are already changing the world. 

1.  "Using those fish guides when ordering in restaurants." 

Cleary makes a passing reference to the vegetarian option, but also complains that guide users simply order the safest fish, without making the reasons for their choice known, which, he argues, makes it "difficult to see where there's any impact on restaurant sourcing policy."

Vegetarianism will almost always be the meal plan that has the least effect on the planet   (though it can have its drawbacks, we'll not get into industrial agriculture, etc. here). However, if people are going to order fish (and they certainly are - in 2000 the average American ate 15.2 pounds of it -pdf ), wouldn't it be best if their choices were more informed and sustainable? 

I don't know who Cleary is eating with, but I've certainly embarrassed my fair share of friends and family by grilling the server on their seafood options (as Monterey Bay's Aquarium's Seafood Guide   encourages).  Seafood Guide programs also work directly with seafood retailers and restaurants to make more sustainable seafood choices themselves. 

Even if there was no communication on why seafood choices are made, if the demand shifts to more sustainable fisheries, it doesn't matter why all of your diners are ordering the Tilapia and not the Orange Roughy, the Suzuki and not the Unagi ; you're going to prepare the menu that sells.  I may be spoiled here in the Pacific Northwest, but hasn't this market pressure effected the decision between wild and farmed, Alaskan and Atlantic salmon? 

2. "Calculating Carbon Footprints." 

Cleary rightly points out that this is a first world problem.  If you're in the North American/European middle class, then your carbon footprint is, quite simply, enormous.  Cleary argues that since none of us are willing to trade our high-carbon lives for Amazonian tribes and African slums, our consumption patterns are "way above the global average...and...the levels they need to be if the level of carbon in the world's atmosphere is to come down anytime soon enough to make a difference." 

Awareness of the problem, and our individual contribution to it, is the first step. Carbon footprints have not only raised awareness of individual consumption levels, but they've also carried over into international unions ( the EU banned incandescent bulb s, effective this year) and corporate world, magnifying the effect of individual reductions exponentially.  When I switch to CFL light bulbs, the carbon savings are minimal.  If the whole world does it, global lighting demand drops by 40% .  Reducing our carbon footprints has other benefits as well, benefits that directly affect conservation work in less affluent countries by decreasing air and water pollution, population relocation, and the need for destructive resource extraction, to name a few.

3.  "Worrying about climate change." 

Cleary argues that we should be worrying "about the stuff that is disappearing, now, and quickly."  Agreed - Climate Change gets all the attention .  But conservation and climate change are far from being mutually exclusive - if fact, they are inextricably linked.

Ignoring climate change in favor of land protection can lead to a misuse of resources and loss of biodiversity in the long run. Just as conservationists consider threat from development in our conservation planning, so do we consider threats to biodiversity from climate change, including from sea level rise, increasing temperatures, and the resulting changing landscapes etc.   Worrying about climate change may not make us a fun bunch, but it sure is smart in both the long and short term (even TNC's official stance is that " Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live ." )

Cleary's mistake is taking these actions individually, and being irritated by the apparent self-involvement of an individual focus (let me be clear - I'm definitely not faulting him for that).  The issues and responsibilities he faces in his position as Director of Conservation Strategies in South America are clearly very different and more immediate than I face in my conservation planning work in California, for instance.  That said, I think it's important to keep in mind that there are many different strategies for protecting biodiversity, people, and the planet, and we should embrace any ideas that change the world - whether it's educating Americans to reduce their consumption levels or directly protecting water resources in South America . 

So yes, blame us for our righteousness, our unawareness of others' discomfort as we grill the unexpecting waiter on the difference between trolling and trawling, our inability to make quick decisions, and our self-imposed martyrdom.  But please, not for our desire to change the world.