The twin sciences of ecology and environment, as academic disciplines seem to be very healthy – at least in the affluent western countries. The number of people seeking education in these disciplines and the number of research papers submitted to journals has been robust. On the other hand the condition of the environment, as measured in two broad ways, is poor and deteriorating very rapidly. First, the area of natural habitat and the diversity as well as the number of species in those habitats are being reduced at alarming rates. Second, the functioning of the environment at global and local scales is changing. Obviously there is a gulf between theory and practice.

The ultimate cause for this expanding gulf is continually increasing demand being placed by humanity upon the environment. This human pressure on the environment is coming form two sides. The pressure placed on the environment by the consumption-oriented affluent countries probably matches or exceeds the immeasurable pressure imposed by the sheer numbers of people subsisting in the developing countries.

Once again, there appear to be two explanations for this ecological conundrum. One theory posits that public and policy makers do not understand and apply the theory correctly. If only the policy makers are environmentally literate, they lament; they would support the policies and programs to create conditions of sustainability while improving the quality of the environment. The second argues that scientific theories are irrelevant to the development of forward-looking public policy.

A possible factor underlying this dilemma is that the theory of ecology is out of phase with our times. As natural scientists, ecologists inherited the rationalistic, mechanistic viewpoint that dates back to the time of Rene Descartes. This deductive tradition sought to test their hypotheses through experiments and these experiments were conducted in controlled conditions. So they searched out for undisturbed habitats and species for their studies. They had hoped that such scenarios would more accurately describe the equilibrium conditions of the environment. Just as Heisenberg pointed out that an experiment and the observer of the experiment cannot be separated, and that there is an inherent uncertainty involved in the observation process, some post-modern ecologists began to note that human-dominated ecosystems are legitimate objects of study.

Having briefly outlined a contradiction, it is time to look for ways to resolve this dilemma. The first step of this process is to recognize that there is a problem. The sources of this problem may lie in public administration, policy making, inadequate enforcement of laws, corruption of public officials, well-entrenched social traditions, historical forces, specific issues related to a species or to the habitat, to the geographic location, and so on.

The diversity of the methods of addressing these problems parallels the diversity of species and habitats. These methods can be categorized into three groups, two extreme positions and one intermediate position.

The first approach is to avoid taking any action. That is, to minimize intervention and let nature takes its course. Here the scientist is a passive observer who takes notes and observes what nature does to heal itself.

The second approach is restoration via active intervention. Here, we take a plot of land, a patch of forest, small lake, stream or wetland and actively "reconstruct" the lost ecosystem – on an experimental level while factoring in the human element of the post-modern era. In broad strokes, this approach is no different from a major engineering project of assembling component by component.

The third approach promotes a middle ground and has been applied successfully in Japan. This approach starts with the collection of data related to fauna and flora, ecology, soil conditions, rainfall and meteorological data. Then it is necessary to study remnants of natural, say forest, systems that have been preserved. Fortunately, in India patches of such forest vegetation has been preserved around temples and shrines – the so-called sacred groves. From such studies, the Japanese group has been successful in defining in fine detail the actual vegetation and potential vegetation in a given area. The next step is to develop a method of propagation of the plant species. The planting of seedlings can be treated as a social festival and by inviting the public to participate in this festival, one can create an "ownership" ethic in the population.

Reference:
F. B. Golley, A History of Ecosystem Concept in Ecology, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1995.