The subtitle of this book was carefully chosen. “A Chart for Rough Waters” was the title of a 1940 book in which Waldo Frank argued that Western democracies must meet immediate challenges, such as the assaults on them by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, but at the same time “address underlying causes that will require progress that ‘fills the lives of even our youngest children.’”

Machlis and Jarvis offer a similar message for conservation – battle the assault on conservation by the Trump administration in the courts and the fields of public opinion, but at the same time work with “strategic intention” for a conservation agenda that will serve the long term.

In her forward, Terry Tempest Williams says Machlis and Jarvis are telling us, “(T)he national narrative is always evolving, and its arc must bend toward a fuller truth.”

The “fuller truth,” they argue, is that “the paradigm of protection and restoration that has guided management of parks and public [lands] for the last fifty years is no longer fully viable in an era of climate change.” Conservationists working separately and issue by issue will not do the job. “Division within the conservation community – to maintain outmoded traditions, argue over arcane terminology, protect ‘turf’ or membership, further a single organization’s goal or strategy, or prioritize independence over collective action – is not a viable option.” What is needed is “a new and unified vision of conservation.”

Immediate challenges are the assault on conservation by the Trump administration. Machlis and Jarvis describe several ways the assault is being mounted. Perhaps the most important, in their view, is a “clawback of constructive response to climate change.” Second is a “retreat from large landscape conservation,” which of course we have seen in the reduction of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, efforts to revise the Antiquities Act, and retreats on many fronts from initiatives to conserve ecological integrity across large landscapes.Third is the erosion of science in public policy-making generally, and especially in policy-making about public lands.

These are the current and immediate challenges, analogous to the military threats Frank addressed in his 1940 book.

Longer term challenges are the existential threat of climate change (a challenge now but certainly greater in the long run if no action is taken now), the acceleration of species decline and extinction rates, and economic inequality. These are examples of “underlying causes that frame our immediate conservation problems and will challenge this and future generations.”

Machlis and Jarvis point out that issues of conservation of nature cannot be separated, as they often are, from issues of social nature such as environmental injustice, the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots, and broader problems of racism, erosion of shared values, and threats to democratic ideals. They attempt to put conservation in a broader context and define a broader concept of conservation.

What to do?

They quote former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair: “Outrage is easy: strategy is hard. Outrage provides the motivation. But only strategy can deliver victory.”

They add to this that “strategy must be combined with a suite of specific skills and attributes: adherence to principle, strategic intention, experience, willingness to learn, fortitude, collaboration, and perseverance.”

Machlis and Jarvis offer 14 strategy recommendations, some of which conservationists are already embracing, others not so much. An example of the former is “Monitor, record, and expose the retreat and retrenchment of environmental protection and conservation.” Conservationists are hard at work on this.

One not so widely embraced is, “(I)nvest time, effort, and resources in local engagement with respect for local values.”

Conservation today is a largely progressive movement and is part of a progressive politics that many agree has not focused enough on local values. Machlis and Jarvis also see that it is essential to “(E)xecute an intergenerational transfer of power” in conservation. They caution that “(O)lder conservation leaders of the baby boom generation must be careful not to succumb to the ‘genetic method’ of leadership turnover, selecting and promoting only those leaders that look, act, and lead as they have done.”

The Future of Conservation in America is a small book (88 pages plus notes), more a manifesto than a chart. Small books can, they suggest, have big aims, and this one certainly does.

“Our goal is to provide a guide for how the conservation movement can effectively advance its agenda over the near and long-term future. We argue that understanding the clash of forces currently dividing the nation, responding to the emerging assault on the environment by the Trump administration, and framing conservation in new and transformative ways are together the best path for progress.”

Machlis and Jarvis write from long experience and careers in conservation, capped by positions as director of the National Park Service (Jarvis) and science adviser to the director of the National Park Service (Machlis). After more than three decades of work in conservation, their goal is to shake up a discouraged conservation movement, to offer encouragement and a vision in a time of crisis. They advocate expansion of the conservation movement to include not only the traditional nature and historical conservation communities, but also those protecting ecosystem services, environmental justice advocates, those focused on sustainability, and the health and scientific communities.

Outdoor recreation interests might be added to this list. Conservation today is a David and Goliath scenario, and Machlis and Jarvis argue that all these branches of a “deep-rooted tree” might achieve much for conservation if they became unified in the effort.

The authors are optimistic that if all of these interests unite, “practice the skills of collaboration, and gain experience in working closely together in more common cause, they will find their collective ‘voice’ to be powerful, influential, and effective.”

This will not, of course, be easy, but Machlis and Jarvis have added their voice to the call for unity in conservation that is essential today. The stakes are high, and the journey has been and will be long, but as they note, conservation is incremental rather than revolutionary. It is a slog, but a unified vision and the long view may contribute much to achieve the diverse goals aimed at protecting the American heritage for generations to come.