Realization III: Finding a Voice

What we are seeing here is the emergence—that is, the discovery—of ecocentric restoration and the realization of its value as a conservation strategy. To the extent that this form of restoration challenges both the utilitarian emphasis of classic conservationism and the hands-off preservationism that characterized the environmentalism of the 1960s and 1970s, this constitutes something of a revolution in environmental thinking and practice. And although, as we will see, this has entailed certain intellectual, psychological, and political tensions that are still unresolved, it has been for the most part a quiet revolution and a productive one, in which restoration has gained general acceptance as a conservation strategy, enriching conservation practice while providing preservationists with a means of achieving their objectives.