Katie Spires

Honors 100, Nola Peshkin

Climate Change Panel Reflection Promt 2
Interdisciplinary Efforts and Land Conservation
I think that approaching big issues from an interdisciplinary perspective is so important to
effectively solving them. One global issue I am passionate about is land conservation. Growing
up as an avid hiker in the Northwest, I easily fell in love with the forests and the wilderness and
the outdoors. I never knew much about the ecology of these forests I live around, or much about
global land use and its possible negative impacts. However, my childhood really instilled an
appreciation for the wilderness and natural ecosystems which fuels my concern for this global
problem. I have been very lucky to have grown up here, because the community here is generally
very conscious of this problem.
Globally, more and more wilderness is being destroyed and repurposed for agriculture,
urban development, resource extraction, or building infrastructure. This has led to some very big
problems. Rampant overconsumption of land and habitat loss means that biodiversity is
declining at an unprecedented level; currently, the 6th major extinction event in Earths history is
happening because of human activity. We are losing species and wilderness at an unapparelled
rate in human history, and it affects everyone. This is a huge problem globally, and it will take
many different tactics to solve it. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to solve this particular
problem is so important because there are so many different aspects to address: environmental
education and cultural values, economic systems that promote land use, population and
consumption growth, waste treatment, and so much more.
Approaching this problem feels daunting, no less because of its massive scale. Currently,
I am choosing to act locally and volunteer for organizations like the Mountains to Sound
Greenway Trust and Washington Trails Association. These establishments focus on a
multifaceted approach to land conservation that I enthusiastically support. These organizations
understand that to effectively implement change they must work on multiple fronts and use
different strategies to address every aspect. They have volunteer events and educational
programs to teach the local community, inspire them, and engage them. The volunteer events
concentrate on maintaining recreational trails and areas, as well as working to restore
ecologically jeopardized areas, both in the local wilderness areas and urban ones. Additionally,
they are a national presence because they also approach this issue by petitioning congress for
support, both for funding and national recognition. These organizations are a perfect example of
a local interdisciplinary solution: they address economic, political, social, and educational
aspects. I also think that acting locally is very important, because the local community keeps its
best interests at heart, and are more motivated to take care of issues that affect the population. I
would love to see more organizations like this around the country and the world.
In the future, I would like to become more involved in the educational and recreational
aspects of this issue. I think the most powerful way to approach this problem is to create a
cultural shift. Instilling a love of nature in the young through education and play will reflect in
their political and economic decisions, and they will be more environmentally conscious global
citizens.