Changing attitudes to nature: first love, separation and pre-nuptial agreements

James, P

Abstract

In his inaugural lecture Professor James addresses questions such as why we keep pets, what happened in Salford on 29th October 1827, and how to improve your personal efficiency by ten to fifteen percent. The answers to these questions address different aspects of society’s changing attitudes to nature.
Professor James will review the critical episodes that have shaped the way we interpret, and interact with, the natural world. He will discuss the early tentative steps of our love affair with nature, and explore how the stresses and strains of everyday life led to individuals and society becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world. Today there are signs that the relationship is back on, this time its foundations are based on valuing the services provided by ecosystems which, he argues, is the equivalent of preparing a pre-nuptial agreement.
During the lecture Professor James will report on his research findings and those of the Post Graduate Researchers at Salford with whom he has worked(1). He will demonstrate the contribution of these studies to the international debate re-framing our future relationship with the natural world, which, in turn, will shape the world in which we all live.
(1) These links are not set out in this paper as much of the data presented is being prepared for publication.

• Working Paper Type: Discussion Paper
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Keywords: Nature conservation, ecosystem services, ecology