Restoring Nature in a Mobile Society

Drenthen explores interesting lines of argument within debates on nature restoration in the Netherlands. For this purpose he applies dichotomies such as locals versus visitors, ecocentrism versus anthropocentrism and nature-centered landscapes versus human-centered landscapes – dichotomies that are characteristic of nature conservation debates to date. In this commentary I will critique these dichotomies from a socio-cultural history perspective. Just as the activists in Drenthen’s text emphasize the different layers of cultural history in our landscapes, I will highlight some of the socio-cultural layers in our visions of nature. After discussing these dichotomies, I will return to the issue of nature conservation to date, and present some thoughts on another key notion in Drenthen’s argument: alienation from nature