Consequences

One of the goals presented in the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan is to conserve the scenic beauty of the river. Though an obviously important goal, I think that the question of conservation for human enjoyment brings up many difficult questions. I believe that many staunch environmentalists would argue that conservation of the environment should be primarily for the sake of the environment itself, not for the enjoyment of humans. Though this may be a very liberal (and possibly unrealistic) statement, it does have some important implications. What happens to the environment that we are trying to conserve when we create ‘scenic byways’ that cut across this ‘conserved’ land? Will the pollution from all of the new tourists coming to look at the beauty of the Hudson actually destroy it? There will be run-off from the road that could slide right into the Hudson not to mention the air pollution that could have a significant effect of the animals and plants in the area.
On top of environmental concerns, the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan insists that all of these various improvements will bolster the economy by bringing in tourism and raising real estate prices. Again, this is obviously a positive goal, however, there seem to be some more negative implications that are not addressed. What happens to the people who can no longer afford to live in the area because prices have been jacked up for tourists or because they simply cannot afford housing in an area that their family may have inhabited for decades.
I believe that the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan is a very positive step in the right direction for the preservation of the Hudson and its surrounding environment, but I think it must be taken with a grain of salt. We must also think about the negative implications that arise as the result of change, even when the intentions behind the change are positive. It is also necessary to think about how humans can enjoy nature without destroying it. Is nature only really conserved when humans leave it alone completely?