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Urban Sustainability and the Extinction of Experience URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE: ACKNOWLEDGING DRIVERS OF BIOCULTURAL LOSS FOR SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL WELL-BEING Alexandria K. Poole, B.A., M.A., M.Sc. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2015 COMMITTEE: Ricardo Rozzi, Major Professor Irene Klaver, Committee Member Steward Pickett, Committee Member Poole, Alexandria K. Urban Sustainability and the Extinction of Experience: Acknowledging Drivers of Biocultural Loss for Socio-Ecological Well-Being. Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy), December 2015, 163 pp., 2 figures, references, 127 titles. In this dissertation I address urban sustainability with a focus on loss of cultural heritage and ecological knowledge by expanding the concept “extinction of experience” (EoE). Conceptualized by conservationist Robert Michael Pyle, EoE is the loss of nature experiences leading to apathy towards biodiversity and degradation of the common habitat. I expand upon Pyle’s formulation of the concept by considering the EoE cycle as an indirect driver that amplifies biodiversity losses. Additionally, I introduce the analysis of interrelated losses of biological and cultural diversity in relation to EoE. With a biocultural approach I discuss that EoE is tied to the infrastructural inertia within the global urban economy. I propose that addressing the EoE cycle is critical in that as a complex and multi-faceted process, it cements threats to biological and cultural diversity as permanent fixtures within society by obscuring their significance in light of economic development. This cycle remains a hidden problematic in that it perpetuates the environmental crisis while making such losses invisible within day-to-day lifestyle habits, constructing an emerging urban culture within the global economy that is ignorant of ecological processes and sustainability requirements. I frame the implications of EoE with an analysis of the newly proposed revisions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals voted on in September 2015 to prioritize local ecological knowledge and biocultural heritage. Copyright 2015 By Alexandria K. Poole ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is dedicated to my family: my grandmother, Joan Pitman, my parents, David and June Poole, and my brother Rupert. This dissertation would not have been possible without their love, support, and inspiration. I would also like to thank my committee for their invaluable support and reflections on my dissertation and their guidance over the years: Ricardo Rozzi, Irene Klaver, and Steward Pickett. My community’s commitment and support has enriched my development throughout my graduate career. I would like to especially thank Dr. Ricardo Rozzi, who reminds with his deeds that life is happening now—inspiring and pushing new boundaries for change and dialogue, even as the dialogue dances across countries, languages, and ecologies. Dr. Eugene Hargrove who continues to be a guide, colleague, and friend; his patience and compassion show that it is possible to make a difference if you have the vision and dedication. Dr. Sarah Fredericks, a mentor that has reminded me to confront my imperfections and push beyond them. Dr. Joseph Oppong whose smile reminds all graduate students that, “Yes, we can!” For the countless hours of editing and discussion: Joseph Tuminello, Seth Thompson, Bidisha Mallik, Jennifer Rowland, Kelli Barr, Stephanie Noell, Mahdi Ahmadi, Matt Cooper, and David Poole. In addition to my family, I also thank those who have shared this journey with me: Tamara Contador, Ramiro Crego, Kathryn Donlon, Yanet Medina, Veronica Morales Ibáñez, Kelli Moses, Samantha Moss, Álvaro Núñez Carbullanca, Merry O’Brien, Jennifer Onorati, Alana Presley, Jarrad Taulman, Setareh Keshmiripour, Chuck Siegel, Amy Wynia, Francisca Massardo, Mimi Lam, Liam Heneghan, James Veteto, Steven Wolverton, Robert Figueroa, Juan Armesto, Magda Costa Carvalho, James Kennedy, and Adam Briggle. Thanks to these beautiful voices, and the countless others not mentioned here. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………...….…..iii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………....vi CHAPTERS 1.1 URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE .................. 1 1.1 Introduction: The Environmental Crisis and the Inertia of Biological and Cultural Diversity Loss ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Problem: The Emerging Unsustainable Urban Society and the Extinction of Experience ..................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Significance of This Research: The Extinction of Experience Cycle Within the Environmental Crisis ......................................................................................................... 11 1.4 Theory and Analysis: A Biocultural Adaptation of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to Address the Extinction of Experience Cycle ............................................. 18 1.5 Key Concepts and Method: Moving Towards Sustainable Development Goals by Addressing Biocultural Loss with the Extinction of Experience ...................................... 21 1.6 Background Problematic Assumptions: Three Development Myths Masking the Structural Inertia Driving Biocultural Loss ....................................................................... 26 1.6.1 Myth #1: The Myth of Cultural Homogeneity ........................................................... 29 1.6.2 Myth #2: The Myth of the Human Cancer on the Planet Earth ................................. 31 1.6.3 Myth #3: The Myth of the Weightless Economy ....................................................... 35 1.6.4 Summary of Myths: Environmental Misanthropy and Unsustainable Cultures ........ 38 1.7 Conclusion and Chapter Summaries: Overcoming the Extinction of Experience for a Sustainable Future ............................................................................................................. 40 2. EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE AND THE BIODIVERSITY CRISES ..................... 43 2.1 Introduction: The Extinction of Experience in the Urban World ...................................... 44 2.2 Extinction of Experience and the Search for the Urban Wildland .................................... 53 2.3 Extinction of Experience, Did You Say? .......................................................................... 58 2.4 Drivers of Extinction of Experience and the Conservators of Experience ....................... 68 iv 2.5 Conservation Biology and the Experiential Crisis ............................................................ 78 2.6 Conclusion: Applying EoE to Reveal Normative and Socio-Political Dimensions of the Experiential Crisis ............................................................................................................. 86 3. EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE AND THREATS TO BIOCULTURAL HERITAGE………………………………………………………………………………87 3.1 Introduction: Experiencing the Threats and Outcomes of Extinction to Biocultural Diversity ............................................................................................................................ 89 3.2 Global Market Economy, Industrial Agriculture and Formal Education: Major Drivers of EoE .................................................................................................................................... 95 3.3 Transmission of Biocultural Heritage and the Extinction of Experience ........................ 100 3.3.1 Gary Nabhan: From Indigenous and Rural to Urban Extinctions of Experience .... 103 3.3.2 Luisa Maffi: Intersections of Language, Culture, and Ecological Knowledge ........ 109 3.4 Ethnoecology and Knowledge “Legitimacy” .................................................................. 119 3.5 Biocultural Engagements with the Extinction of Experience ......................................... 129 3.6 Conclusion: A Biocultural Conception of Heritage to Address EoE .............................. 136 4. ADDRESSING THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE CYCLE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE .............................................................................................. 137 4.1 Dissertation Summary ..................................................................................................... 139 4.2 Contributions and Applications of EoE Research: Overcoming EoE Within Sustainability Discourse ......................................................................................................................... 142 4.3 Future Research: The Interrelated Cycle of Biocultural Homogenization and Extinction of Experience ....................................................................................................................... 146 4.4 Concluding Remarks: Addressing the Structural Forces Driving EoE for Biocultural Conservation and Sustainable Development ................................................................... 150 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 152 v LIST OF FIGURES 1 Table 1.1. 2015 Sustainable Development Goals……………………….…...… 13 2 Box 1. Hidden Assumptions Underlying Environmental Misanthropy........……. 39 vi CHAPTER 1 1 URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCE Only 600 urban centers, with a fifth of the world’s population, generate 60 percent of global GDP. --- Urban World Report, McKinsey Global Institute1 Over the past 50 years, humans have changed
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