People, Places
and Objects Connected with Nature Study in East Anglia
The
Beginning
The term "ecology"
did not appear until 1866, and it took almost another hundred years for it
to enter common speech. But the idea of ecology is much older than the name. Its modern
history begins in the eighteenth century when it emerged as a comprehensive way of looking at
life as an interacting whole. Ecological science developed from the 17th century geographical
idea of the human economy, which was promoted by Francis Bacon as the system by which
society's resources are organised for minimum cost and maximum efficiency.
An economy is defined,
in the mass, and in the long run, by people interacting with natural
resources along certain well-defined lines. To make gains they invent and assemble processes
to exploit nature, and they tend to stop production which does not pay. An 'economy of
people' differs from an 'economy of nature' in that nature has no concern for efficiency. This
distinction gave birth to a rich set of ideas out of which developed the subjects of natural
economy, political economy, and ecology. A knowledge system linking these subjects is the
organising thread of this educational database.
People
Ecology, even before
it had a name, had a history, and East Anglian naturalists occupied a
significant part of its Victorian stage. They are the bankers, business men, writers and artists ,
who for one reason or another, took a deep interest in the wildlife of their neighbourhood. They
were the thinkers, and publicists, who helped shape the concept of 'habitat', and contributed to
modern perceptions of our place in nature. Some of them were fellows of the Royal Society
and founders of the Linnean Society, where they exerted European influence. Together, they
are a local illustration of global developments in the perception of nature.
A study of the
lives of East Anglian naturalists demonstrates that ecological ideas grew out of
specific cultural conditions, and were often generated by commercial activities which bought
time for 'unprofitable enquiry'. These are individuals whose work still has the power to influence
society. They were closely interwoven with the general fabric of thought of their time, which
includes the literary, economic, and philosophical connections between the study of nature and
the shaping of Victorian society. Their work set in motion movements, campaigns and
programmes which are still changing the way we see our place in nature.
Links between the
naturalist-entrepreneurs and our modern era of wildlife conservation, are
illustrated by the North Sea marine fisheries. Knowledge about the science necessary to sustain
commercial catches quickly moved from the lore gathered by local naturalists, who haunted
river, broad and quayside, to the systematic collection of data by full-time scientists paid from
the public purse. Building on the work of the naturalists, who were the real founders of fishery
research, scientific investigations quickly produced a shift from early-Victorian views of the sea
being a limitless source of bounty, to statements, as early as the turn of the century, that we
must change our ways. Records of fishing lore, which echo-location has made extinct, came
from the anecdotes of 19th century intellectuals who hob- knobbed with the locals, and more
recently, from tape recordings of the last of the true fishermen, Gathered by David Butcher.
Other endeavors of the early naturalists to make an inventory of local wildlife, particularly the
birds, has since born fruit in the management of protected areas of East Anglia's broads and
coastlands, most of which have international status.
The following list
of people is not exhaustive. Nevertheless, it gives an idea of the wealth of
intellect devoted to natural history, which was stimulated by East Anglian wildlife, and its
threats, in the three centuries to the end of the Victorian era. Its incompleteness indicates the
great scope for local research to fill in the gaps.
Places
Halesworth was
one of the 'malting towns', which developed during the era of coastal trade and
canal transport, on the rivers running out of East Anglia. They were targeted on the capital's
enormous brewing industry. Granaries and maltings were to be found at the little ports, and up
the east coast estuaries as far as light coasters could penetrate on the tide. The canalisation of
the narrow river Blyth was a local investment that brought entrepreneurs, bankers and
tradesmen to Halesworth. In particular, wealth generated by Halesworth Quay bought time for
the men of the Hooker family, maltsters and brewers, to pursue their botanical interests. This
curious blend of 'flowers and beer' created a potent socio-scientific culture of people related as
kin and friends, which eventually launched Darwin.
Halesworth is a
metaphorical focus for many East Anglian communities, where people first
encountered nature with feelings of delight, and hope of economic gain. They are to be found
from the Lincolnshire Fens, through High Suffolk, to the Orwell Valley, and along the Norfolk
and Suffolk coast.
Questions
The study of Earth's
riches for survival, pleasure and profit, has opened not one, but many
doors. The questions to be answered are: Who opened them? Why? What has been seen?,
and What is the legacy? Seeking answers to these questions may better prepare us to choose
which doors we will want to open in the future.
Answers
A study of the
lives of East Anglian naturalists demonstrates that ecological ideas grew out of
specific cultural conditions, and were often generated by commercial activities which bought
time for 'unprofitable enquiry'. These are individuals whose work still has the power to influence
society. They were closely interwoven with the general fabric of thought of their time, which
includes the literary, economic, and philosophical connections between the study of nature and
the shaping of Victorian society. Their work set in motion movements, campaigns and
programmes which are still changing the way we see our place in nature.
Message
With regard to
the future, mankind's problem is the lonely, often desperate isolation of people
from other species. These are our only companions on earth. We are all in this together. We
must be a part, not only of the human community, but of the whole community of nature. Along
with our acknowledgement of oneness with our neighbours, our countrymen and our
civilisation, we must also respect the natural community to which we also belong. Ours is not
only "one world", it is also one Earth. It is a grim fact, that unless we share our planet
with
creatures other than ourselves, we shall not be able to live on it for long.
Links between the
naturalist-entrepreneurs and our modern era of wildlife conservation, are
through the studies of marine fisheries, which quickly passed from the lore gathered by local
naturalists, who haunted river, broad and quayside, to the systematic collection of data by full-
time scientists paid from the public purse. Building on the work of the naturalists, who were the
real founders of fishery research, scientific investigations quickly produced a shift from early-
Victorian views of the sea being a limitless source of bounty, to statements, as early as the turn
of the century, that we must change our ways. Records of fishing lore, which echo-location has
made extinct, came from the anecdotes of 19th century intellectuals who hob- knobbed with
the locals, and more recently, from tape recordings of the last of the true fishermen. Other work
of the early naturalists, particularly ornithologists, has born fruit in the management of protected
areas of broads and coastlands, most of which have international status.
