Wild Life: The Institution of Nature by Irus Braverman (review)

In Wild Life, Braverman explores concepts of in situ and ex situ conservation and the apparent dichotomy between them. Braverman defines the two stakeholder groups in the debate as “the professional and scientific disciplines of zoo and lab experts, on the one hand, and field biologists and wildlife managers on the other” (p. 3). She says she seeks to document, rather than explain (p. 11), this divide between the two positions via interviews with over 120 prominent conservationists from around the world. She also seeks to consider ways in which some conservationists have sought, and succeeded, in working inter situ, or between the two traditional approaches.

Her exploration of conservation approaches stems from her previous work, Zooland, which considered, very specifically, the institution of zoos. In seeking out her interviewees for the current volume, she used as her starting point the “zoo professionals she had connected with previously” (p. 14) and went from there to speak to field conservationists—predominantly scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. She deliberately sought out those who believed that the gap between in situ and ex situ could be bridged in some way, noting that her interviewees are “neither typical nor representative of the conservation community” (p. 15); this is something that I feel bears further scrutiny and will return to.

The chapter structure moves through a logical sequence, beginning with an exploration of the purported dichotomy itself, then to traditional in situ conservation viewpoints, followed by traditional ex situ viewpoints, before moving on to discuss how the two concepts can merge in theory and practice. She covers the reintroduction of species into natural habitats, the regulatory landscape surrounding conservation efforts and, finally, the way in which information in relation to animals living in their natural habitat and in captivity is held and managed. Interspersed between the chapters exploring the broad concepts under consideration are case studies focused on particular species of animals that have been the subject of conservation projects. These species include the Puerto Rican crested toad, the golden lion tamarin, the black-footed ferret, and the Tasmanian devil.

Braverman challenges traditional views of in situ and ex situ conservation throughout the book and suggests that, instead of polarized situations of “wilderness,” where species are conserved without the need for human management on the one hand, and zoos, where species are heavily managed in captivity on the other, conservation efforts are instead part of a continuum with no clear dividing line between the two positions. For example, in the case of the black-footed ferret, the remaining free-living population was taken into captivity in order to “save” the species. Individuals were then bred in captivity and released back into their natural habitat. The free-living population continues to be supplemented by the captive-bred individuals to this day; some 30 years after the program began. In connection with situations such as these, a running theme of the book queries whether or not an “untamed wilderness” really does, or indeed ever did, truly exist. Braverman suggests that the imagery of “wilderness” has a place in ideology and rhetoric but perhaps not in real-world habitats, which are all, to some extent or another, managed by people.

The book raises important questions surrounding the conservation of species on the one hand and the protection of individuals on the other. Whether or not the capture of free-living animals, who may never be released, is ethically justifiable is queried strongly by some interviewees, but the implicit suggestion is that the “saving” of a species will generally justify the figurative sacrifice of the individual. That said, as some of Braverman’s interviewees point out, knowing when to deem a species “saved” can also be complicated. For example, in the case of the black-footed ferret already mentioned, the population continues to be reliant on the release of animals bred in...