Conservation Study Institute

In November 2001, 50 conservation scholars and practitioners gathered in Vermont to consider the future of conservation. A national symposium, "Reconstructing Conservation: History, Values, and Practice," challenged participants to critically examine long-held tenets of conservation history and philosophy, and to envision principles for conservation in the twenty-first century.

Invited participants included prominent academicians in environmental philosophy and history as well as leading conservation practitioners from the public and private sectors. Through presentations and dialogue, symposium participants explored conservation from interdisciplinary perspectives and probed the relationship and tension between conservation thought and practice.

The symposium was sponsored by a broad consortium of public and private organizations: The Woodstock Foundation, School of Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, Conservation Study Institute, Trust for Public Land, and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.

Symposium Publications
Two complementary publications have been compiled to share the results of the symposium and to encourage further conversations on the future of conservation. Reconstructing Conservation: Our Common Ground has been edited by Ben Minteer and Bob Manning and will be published by Island Press in the fall of 2003. This book is a collection of original essays devoted to exploring the conceptual foundations and contemporary vitality of the American conservation tradition in academic scholarship and professional practice.

Speaking of the Future: A Dialogue on Conservation (PDF format* - 3,859 KB) has been prepared by the Conservation Study Institute with a focus on lessons and insights from conservation practice. The Institute's role is to create opportunities for dialogue, reflection, and creative thinking about conservation's past and present, as well as to contribute to shaping future directions through collaborations such as this one.