5 - On the Paper Trail: The Everyday Business of Conservation

Summary

Being popular is probably the most natural goal of any social movement. Therefore, it does not look surprising on first glance that German conservationists were investing a significant amount of time and energy into lectures and public education; a recurring slogan declared that “conservation is a matter for the people (Naturschutz ist Volkssache).” And yet it is rewarding to take a closer look. If conservationists addressed the general public, it was often not aimed at developing a powerful lobby for the conservationists' cause, at least not in the first place. Rather, the goal was to assure compliance with government regulations. As early as 1929, Schoenichen had published a book on “Dealing with Mother Green” (Der Umgang mit Mutter Grün) that gave instructions on the proper behavior in nature, in which his humorous style (or attempt thereat) poorly concealed his arrogant attitude. “The starting point for all conservation efforts is a decent and well-mannered conduct towards plants, animals, and the landscape,” Hans Schwenkel declared in 1941, and other conservationists likewise pledged “to educate the people in the preservation and reverent contemplation of our Heimat nature.” Typically, one regional government published a decree that supplemented the call to win the public for the cause of conservation with a warning that failure to record hitherto unknown natural monuments with the authorities was punishable by law. Clearly, the conservation community saw administrative work as its core activity and popularizing its concern as a mere afterthought.