Understanding Environment

 Meher Gandhi- Understanding Environment Question:  What are William Cronon’s thoughts on The Endangered Species Act and preserving pristine wilderness? Do we have laws in India that aims to preserve and protect biological diversity? What are some of the challenges that we face in implementing such laws and what could be done to counter those challenges? Answer 1 To clearly comprehend what Cronon says about The Endangered Species Act and about the preservation of wilderness, we must look at the two types of consequences attached with the usage of the term ‘wilderness’ as highlighted by William Cronon in his essay ‘The Trouble with Wilderness’. Cronon states that the label of ‘wilderness’ and the ways in which it is used makes us believe that nature is the ‘other’ and that we are separate from it. This becomes a problem as it leads us to being irresponsible towards nature. However, Cronon also emphasises that the tag of ‘wilderness’ has been successful at making humans aware of...