Every Monday on Global Comment, we share Something Special you don’t want to miss. To fit with the six core pillars of the magazine, these will alternate between the themes of watch / listen / read / see / taste / place.
It will be something different every week, but it will always be about something worth seeing, hearing or watching, or a place worth visiting or a food worth tasting.
This week, read a thought-provoking article by Sam Meadows in New Lines magazine called ‘Rewilding’ in Argentina Raises Thorny Questions
Rewilding is one of the proposed solutions for the biodiversity crisis facing many parts of the world. While the idea has recently gained momentum, it has also generated controversy. Rewilding can take many forms, but they all focus on restoring environments and ecosystems to a previous state that is said to be, or have been, more “natural.” To its advocates, rewilding is about rescuing our most threatened species and bringing balance back to ecosystems that have suffered decades of degradation at the hands of humans.
Yet to its critics, it is an example of conservationists pursuing a nostalgic and idealized version of a past that no longer exists. Or worse, some say, it reinforces the capitalistic idea that nature is a “commodity” which needs to be protected from humans. When, exactly, was the ecosystem perfectly in balance? And even if we could restore that time, is it worth doing if it means marginalizing local communities or building barricades between humanity and nature?
If you found that interesting, you might also like this review of the film Wilding and some of the problems and positives about rewilding in that, too.
If you have any suggestions for future items to feature, contact us on our socials or at editor@globalcomment.com