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The Geocomputation group was recently privileged to host environmental philosopher Dr. Martin Drenthen from Radboud University in the Netherlands. His one-week-visit resulted in a rich and thought-provoking exploration of ethical questions about nature management and rewilding, and specifically the return of large mammals to the Netherlands.
The challenge of human-nature coexistence
The return of wolves to densely populated landscapes in Western Europe, requires us to rethink the relationship between humans and non-human animals. Martin’s presentation reflected in depth on the challenge of coexisting with wolves in cultural landscapes – places where people are present in their everyday lives and wolves are often seen as not belonging. In an inspiring talk, Martin examined the role of interspecies communication in the quest for coexistence with wolves in the Netherlands. His insights pushed us to contemplate deeper questions about ethical understandings of the natural environment.
Understanding Perceptions Through Text Analysis
Despite being widely regarded as a major conservation success, Europe's wildlife comeback continues to raise significant concerns in society, sparking debate and controversy. In ongoing collaborative work Martin, Franziska, Inhye and Ross are exploring the use of newspapers in different languages and countries as promising and widely accessible resource for exploring public debates about the impact of reemerging wildlife in Europe. Working through an interdisciplinary strategy will not only enrich our understanding but also highlights the necessity of collaborative efforts in tackling challenges more generally in human-environment interactions.
Looking Forward
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Martin for taking the time to visit us. As we continue to navigate the complexities of human-environment interactions, we look forward to future collaborations that will advance our interdisciplinary research. Indeed, Franziska and Martin will soon present the preliminary results of our interdisciplinary study on human-wildlife interactions at the
World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from June 16-21, 2024.
