Zentner on Katz (and Zedler, and Hiss)

Restoration, as an attempt to replicate natural landscapes or ecosystems, provokes deeply held feelings about the separation of humanity and nature which have been a part of Western culture for centuries. The environmental movement, from which the field of restoration is at least partly derived, generally postulates a clear separation between humanity’s works (although not necessarily humanity) and nature. Restoration challenges this separation, and we will continue to question both the restorationist’s ability to replicate natural landscapes and the degree to which purely human objectives should influence restoration efforts until an ethical framework is developed within the restoration movement to resolve this challenge. Two recent publications, "The ethical significance of human intervention in nature" by Eric Katz (R&MN 9:2, pp. 90-96) and The Experience of Place by Tony Hiss (Harper & Row, 240 pp.) approach the relationship between nature and humanity and its implications for restoration quite differently. Here I will review both publications in the hope of contributing to the development of an ethical framework for the field of restoration.