Culture 75reflection of a still pond and the ‘‘cathedral” of an Australian mountain-ash
(Eucalyptus grandis)orChilean monkey-puzzle (Auracaria)orUSredwoodforest.
Aesthetics is another widely treasured cultural value of nature -- the beauty
of a rich tropical rainforest edge or the glory of a single golden grass waving
endlessly across a plain (Yaroet al.1990,Nassauer1997,Eaton1997,Seddon
1997). Symbolism is especially valued by some cultures, such as the gnarled
mountain pine in China and Japan and a ring of redwoods in California. Or a
large nearby primeval forest may symbolize or represent danger and evil, thereby
evoking fear. Even nature as a rich source of metaphors that enhance human
understanding provides value to some.
Twobrief stories bring culture and nature alive. A shopping mall in
Minneapolis/St. Paul (USA) was built on a former wetland and years later
essentially went bankrupt, leaving inexpensive temporary stores mixed with
broken-window spaces (Joan Nassauer, personal communication). Conservation-
ists convinced the city to remove the mall and recreate a wetland there. An
attractive trail with long curving walkway-bridge was designed to serve neigh-
boring communities as well as a wider array of nature walkers and birdwatchers.
One local recent-immigrant community was aghast. Not only were the conve-
nient affordable stores being closed, a wetland was beginning to appear while
thesafe familiar parking lot was disappearing. A wetland, no less! Wetlands are
sources of evil, places where bad things happen to people, as generations of
children well know in that culture.
The second story is of a forestry expert explaining how a local wooded area
in a developing country could have triple the production and income from
agradual replanting with pine or eucalypt (Forman1995). The village leader
ponders the opportunity and invites the expert for a stroll through the woods.
The host points out a tree that provides nuts in the dry season, a moist spot
that protects their drinking water, a tree where he was married, a vine for the
annual religious celebration, some unburnable trees protecting the woods on
the windward side, some decrepit trees that provide flutes for the children, and
tall arching trees for reflection and inspiration. The forester is warmly thanked,
and then returns home to look more thoughtfully at the conifer plantations
near his own community.
Nature is a centerpiece of culture and runs deeply in people. Being packed
together in a city cannot extinguish that essence of humanity. Urban executives
line their offices with stunning mountain scenes and seascapes which may have
deep meaning to them. Urban immigrants may keep a treasured plant growing
or talk about special places or show a faded photograph of relatives next to
familiar trees and shrubs. Almost always these are from their home village or
town, their roots. Nature is a central component of place, and of a sense of place.