Reference no: EM133773348

Assignment:

Part 1: Environmentalist Self-Reflections

• What challenges do you think you would have collaborating and communicating with them?
• What are some strategies for how could "build a bridge" with groups with different orientations?
• How would approach a communication challenge with a classmate who has different attributes and values than yourself?

Part 2: Connecting to IAPs

Select two of the listed focal issues to discuss in this response including either marine conservation in the sea of cortex Mexico, agroforestry in the amazon rainforest south America, mineral for tech products in central Africa, wetland habitat restoration on the gulf coast USA, or green energy wind/solar projects in Australia.

• What are two IAP groups (one for each issue selected) that you and your classmates might encounter in your work as environmentalists?
• What wildlife orientation do you think they would have? Why?
• What challenges or obstacles might your classmate encounter trying to work with these IAPs?

With some being a pluralist and a mutualist. Pluralists try to approach issues with an open mind and believe there is no definite right or wrong answer to every question, so I could see why I would be a pluralist.

A few years ago, I took my terrier outside with me at night to check on the horses. She was always my shadow and always came when called, so after a couple minutes of not seeing her, I started to call her. We heard a rustle in the woods and a few seconds later she appeared. She had a large deep gash on her back and was clearly shaken up. The vet confirmed it as a bite wound more than likely from a coyote. Luckily, she made a full recovery, but if I had not called her when I did, she probably would not be alive today. She never even made a sound to alert me, it was just pure luck that I realized she wasn't with me in the barn. From that point on I doubled down on how I handled my animals and wildlife. I do everything I can to keep predators out of my property. I keep everyone inside at night and in secure areas during the day, I have the majority of our land fenced off and I have two livestock guardian dogs who take their jobs incredibly seriously. While I have plenty of respect for wildlife and believe they should be able to live their lives, I draw the line when their lives interfere with my animal's lives. At the end of the day, my animals are my main concern.

I don't think my wildlife orientation is common in the field. I think that usually people lean towards one extreme or another, and less have more of a middle ground stance.

Part 2: Noticing Trends

I could be wrong here because I don't live in any of these states, but I could see why utilitarian orientations would be more common in states where hunting is more common.

I think a lot of how people view wildlife is based on how they were raised. If they were raised in an area where you rely on wildlife as a food source, or have something to protect from wildlife it would be more common to see the utilitarian orientation. I think if you were in a part of the world where interactions with a vast amount of wildlife (especially predators) is limited, such as in an urban environment, it could be more common to see wildlife in a completely different light.