What do we mean when we say that the environment is in danger, that Nature is being lost? You might think that this is self-evident, but actually, the very concept of “the Environment” is a recent invention, dating back only about 50 years. Our modern conception of Nature being “a good thing” is not one that people have always subscribed to. And indeed, even today, we tend to be selective about those aspects of “Nature” that we like and those that we don’t.

In this talk Professor Stuart Reynolds will discuss how humans have viewed Nature through the ages and evaluate the idea that we now live in an “Anthropocene Age” in which few if any aspects of Nature remain undisturbed by humans. If that is so, then what does it mean to “conserve” Nature?

Stuart Reynolds is Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Bath. He is a member of the Department of Life Sciences and also of the Milner Centre for Evolution.