The Importance of the Pristine Landscapes - Essay Example

The History and Theory of Historic and Environmental Conservation Introduction Historic preservation is an attempt that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect objects, buildings, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. Historic conservation as a word or phrase has evolved over time with different people assigning it different names. Other common synonyms include urban conservation, landscape preservation, built environment conservation, built heritage conservation, object conservation and immovable or immobile object conservation (Forsyth 9). The concept of historic preservation is mainly used by the English and the Americans but the other dialects refer to the same as “heritage conservation” or “heritage preservation”. The term is commonly used by professionals to refer to the preservation of the built environment as opposed to the preservation or the conservation of wildlife or forests (Forsyth 10). Environmental conservation is a concept that has a resemblance with historic preservation. The only difference is that environmental conservation is concerned with the preservation of the natural environment that includes plants, animals and natural resources (Mauro 4). The environment is defined as the sum of everything that surrounds a living organism, including natural forces, other living organisms that in essence provide conditions for growth and development as well as danger and damage to the living organism. Therefore, environmental conservation is a term that goes hand in hand with natural conservation that involves the protection of nature (Mauro 6). Historical Conservation The idea of historic conservation and natural conservation dates back to the 17th century in England. Members of the Royal Society of England often had antiquarian interests and, therefore, most of them were involved in conservation efforts during this time. This was done for various reasons; one of them was to conserve history for the future generations especially the buildings that had an impact on a country (Simon 335). These efforts by the Royal Society of England in the UK led to the establishment and adoption of the Ancient Monument Protection Act in 1882. Later in the 20th century, the UK’s Ancient and Monuments act was passed in 1913 to protect or preserve defined decayed and obsolete structures of great historical or associative interest. The act was because of the continued modernization that meant the destruction of the older buildings to pave way for the newer improved structures (Simon 336). During the twentieth century, the UK government under the National Trust Organization started with the preservation of historic houses continuously increasing its scope to cover other buildings of historic significance. In 1944, the UK’s legislature passed the Town and country Planning Act and the subsequent Town and Country planning Act in 1990. This acts increased the pace toward historic preservation on a high scale. Apart from these acts, other court cases from pressure groups and movements also contributed to the first pace of historical conservation (Feilden 35). Preservation efforts in the United States began in the early 19th century with the preservation of the George Washington’s Mount Vernon in 1858. This was later followed by an association founded in 1889 called the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, which was the United States first statewide historic conservation group (Forsyth 50). Another historical building that followed in the 20th century is the Washington headquarters state historic site in New York in 1961. One of the first architectural firms that was famous in its bid to preserve historic buildings was Simons & Lapham. It was influential in crafting the first historical ordinance in Charleston in 1930. This gave the city regulatory means by which it could prevent the destruction of historic buildings. Earlier on in 1925, there were massive efforts to preserve the French Quarter buildings in New Orleans and these struggles led to the creation of the Vieux carre Commission that facilitated the adoption of the historic preservation ordinance (Forsyth 60). In 1949, the US National Trust for Historical Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, was founded. The organization mission was to provide leadership, advocacy, education and resources in order to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize communities (Forsyth 67). The trust assumed responsibility of its first museum in 1952, the Woodlawn Plantation found in Northern Virginia. To this day, more than twenty-eight sites have become a responsibility of the Trust and, thus, represent the cultural diversity of the American history. One of the very first historical destructions that generated massive protests was the demolition of the Pennsylvania Station in 1964 (Forsyth 90). It shocked many people and a nationwide campaign began aimed at supporting historic preservation. A year later, the US extended its mandate to the international arena by establishing the World Monuments Fund that was aimed at preserving historic sites all over the world (Forsyth 102). In the following years after 1964, university programs began which continued the preservation efforts. One such example is one that was established at Columbia University, which became the essential model under which all the other programs were based on to-date. Currently the federal government has created historic districts, which are a group of buildings or sites designated by one or several bodies and are historically or architecturally significant. (Sellars 58). Environmental Conservation Environmental conservation began in the early 19th century with the realization that man was exploiting the natural resources at a high speed, clearing forests, mining, damming rivers, killing wildlife and polluting the environment. Problems began to emerge which became a matter of national debate. One problem that was so profound in the United States was the extinction of natural resources especially fossil fuel and wood. Having realized this problem and the need for future generations to have access to these basic commodities, people began to gather efforts and advocated for environmental conservation (Tree). Apart from the disappearing natural resources people realized that the fate of wildlife was at stake too and, thus, organizations came together to ensure that these were also protected or preserved for the future generations. At this time industrialization was in progress, the biggest threat to the environment was the problem of pollution, and this not only threatened the environment but also was a horrible threat to the health of individuals in the fast growing cities of the 19th century (Tree). Modern environmental advocacy became a powerful force in the early 1960’s and these were built on the earlier efforts aimed at conserving natural resources, preserving wildlife and controlling pollution. The advocacy movements at this time were also because of the profound changes in American life that were attributed to the effects of the World War II (Tree). Early environmental conservation began with the environmental conservation movements and these movements sought to protect the nation’s natural resources from exploitation by the short-sighted rapacious organizations and corporations. This was in the early 19th century and this was seen as a form of fostering democracy within the nation (Tree). The 20th century conservation movements have focused more on legislations and policies to ensure the preservation of the environment. After the movements directed at the conservation of natural resources, came the preservation of the wilderness. Americans saw the underdeveloped lands and fields as wastelands in the early 19th century. However, during the mid-19th century they realized the importance of the underdeveloped countryside as a romantic escape from civilization (Tree). The rise of the industrial cities made people begin to appreciate the importance of the pristine landscapes. This resulted in a series of campaigns aimed at preserving wildlife that culminated in the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Continued modernization in the 20th century made people desire to return to nature and a simpler world leading to the creation of national parks and game reserves. Since then, most preservation efforts have been directed at anti-pollution campaigns with the world moving towards eco-friendly structures, processes and services (Tree). The Antiquities Act (1906) The Antiquities Act of 1906 was one of the biggest milestones in the history of conservation. The act passed by congress and signed by Theodore Roosevelt gave the president the authority to restrict the use of a parcel of land owned by the federal government (NPS). The act was because of the concerns about the protection of antiquities found on federal lands. The private collectors removed artifacts from these lands and, thus, it brought a huge problem by the end of the 19th century. Congressman of Iowa John F. Lacey saw the collectors’ impact and presented findings to the committee on public lands that facilitated the passage of the legislation (Sellars 269-271). The act also gives the courts the permission to convict or fine a person who is found to appropriate, excavate, injure or destroy any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity situated on government controlled lands. The act brought many controversies and debates on how it was applied and how it is continuously being applied (NPS). The act was intended to reduce the legislative process that a piece land has to go through before being declared a protected site or national park. Usually the president’s directive is easy to implement making it easy for him to set aside prehistoric sites than the legislative procedures. The controversy emanating from this act is the ability of the president to declare a piece of land for individual interests. This was put to check and now the act requires congressional consent and in some areas like Alaska it requires congressional ratification in order to be implemented (NPS). Works Cited Feilden, Bernard M. Conservation of historic buildings. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2003.Print. Forsyth, Michael. Understanding Historic building conservation. New York: Blackwell, 2007. Print. Mauro, Agnoletti. The Conservation of Cultural Landscapes. London: CABI, 2006. Print. NPS. National Monuments to National Parks:The Use of the Antiquities Act of 1906. 05 March 2005. Web. 1 March 2012 —. The Antiquities Act 1906. 8 June 1906. Web. 1 March 2012 Sellars, Richard west. A Very Large Array: Early Federal Historic Preservation—The Antiquities Act, Mesa Verde, and the National Park Service act. 2007. Web.1 March 2012 . Simon, Mclean. "Stuctures and Conservation in Historic Building Conservation." Journal of Building Appraisal (2008): 3(4): 335-336. Print. Tree, Joshua. Conservation , Preservation, and Environmental Activism: A survey of historical Literature. 16 January 2003. Web.1 March 2012 Read More