Rambunctious Garden Analysis

Emma Marris presents us with a new way of viewing nature in the first chapter of her book, “Rambunctious Garden”. She explains that the definition of nature depicted in our “glossy magazines” describing a place “somewhere distant, wild and free” is incorrect, as it “blinds us” from the truth (Marris 1). Marris argues that we must adjust this definition to also include the nature found in “the bees whizzing down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan” and “the butterfly bushes that grow alongside the urban river” as well as the nature found in “managed national parks” (Marris 2). She uses experiences gained during her time spent in the forests of Hawaii and in Australia’s Scotia Sanctuary as evidence to support her argument. Marris also makes the point …show more content…
The native species of marsupials that once roamed this park freely are now threatened by an army of introduced predators. These predators, which include wild cats, foxes, rabbits, and goats, have all become pests over the years destroying the native plant and animal populations. Marris recalls an interview with Tony Cathcart, and shares his attempt to keep the these pests under control: “Cathcart told me how he cleared Stage Two. He was able to shoot out the goats in a matter of days. Rabbits were harder. Every day he [had to] put out carrot bait” (Marris 11). Despite his six years of dedicated work, these pests are still thriving in Australia and continue to threaten the native species living in Scotia Sanctuary. This example describes another method of conservation that has been unsuccessful and supports Marris’s argument for using various approaches to the preservation of …show more content…
They argue that true wilderness can only be “pristine” and “untouched by humanity’s great grubby hands” (Marris 1). I don’t find this argument convincing when considering the results from new research being published on global warming. According to a web article published by NASA, “The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million in the last 150 years”. This data is suggesting that pristine wilderness has been missing from planet earth for many decades. These results also explain that humans have altered every corner of the earth; not just with air pollution but with land pollution and water pollution as well. Marris shows her understanding of this problem when she claims that “we’ve been changing the landscapes we inhabit for millennia, and these days our reach is truly global” (Marris