The Rambunctious Garden Summary

In chapter one of “The Rambunctious Garden”, Emma Marris presents us with a different way of viewing nature. Instead of seeing nature as a place “untouched by humanity’s great grubby hands," Marris wants us to value nature in places such as the “highway median” or the “old field overgrown with weeds”. She argues that the goal of returning nature to its prehuman state is incredibly expensive and nearly impossible. Marris explained that, “Many conservationists are opening up their definitions of nature and embracing a whole suite of possible goals beyond the familiar pristine wilderness goal.” One specific example she offers to support her argument involves an experiment being conducted in Hawaii. The goal of this experiment is to see how