I don’t think that’s what I meant. My point was that despite having ample opportunities to observe diverse wildlife, many of us from regions like India and Africa don’t contribute to discussions like this as actively as others do. Perhaps responses like yours are part of the reason?
I’m struggling to see how your statement relates to my original point. Your observations of bees in the Northeastern US are valuable and can enrich our knowledge. Similarly, if we had more participants from underrepresented regions, it would only add to the diversity of perspectives and knowledge. I don’t see how this would be harmful in any way.
I respectfully disagree on the word “us”, based on my personal experiences in my region. Unfortunately, many Important Bird Areas, forests, and natural spaces are being polluted by visitors, who often leave behind trash, noise, and disruption. After a brief social media photo op, these areas are left to suffer. I’m not familiar with the situation in your area, but this is the reality I’ve witnessed.
Thank you for sharing your sentiments. I respectfully acknowledge and appreciate your deep admiration for the diverse wildlife in your region.
Does this mean that individuals should refrain from sharing their perspectives in an open forum? I’d appreciate clarification. Thanks!
I think this is just a simpler way of saying things. I’d rather not say, “I am someone who enjoys watching reptiles and amphibians” when I can say “I am a herper”. Makes things simpler.
The way I’ve always seen it, such terms simply refer to people who like to observe/photograph birds or herps as a hobby, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t think there’s any need to gatekeep casual terms like those
There has always been a subset of naturalists that are opposed to nature photography. I’ve been told that it prevents people from communing and understanding nature. I’ve even been on trips where people were verbally derogatory about me taking photos of birds. I would think many of these people would not approve of iNaturalist. But to each their own. Too many people think their way is the only way.
For labels, I’m an ecologist. I’ve got a degree in it so as a label it seems well justified. But I also like birds, and fish, and moths, and plants, and frogs, and snakes and most any other living creature. In the context of iNaturalist, if someone asks me what I am, then I’m a naturalist. It’s a label that lets others know my interest. It doesn’t seem to do any harm and lets people know that my interests are broad. UBU.
I’ve never run into such a person but have heard they exist. I’d probably have some strong insults for anyone who had the arrogance to tell me my photo’ing is somehow not appropriate for appreciating nature. Then I’d hit them with my tripod. ;-)
Please tell me that’s satire lol. Although I can’t even say I’d be surprised if it wasn’t, given that it’s from Reddit, where most users seem to be clinically insane
Update: looked at the comments, it appears it isn’t satire. Wow. I don’t even know what to say
As I, and many others have said already, the way I see it is that Herper is a term for someone who enjoys looking for reptiles and amphibians. Same with birder but for birds. I don’t see a problem with these labels and I believe there is no real right or wrong way to enjoy nature. A naturalist is someone who enjoys or studies nature (going off definitions.) There is a job called a naturalist too though. I’ve already said it in a message above and I don’t want to repeat points but photographing animals can be beneficial too.
We have had a lot of participation from @botswanabugs , especially in discussion of National Biodiverity Strategy Action Plans, as well as a lively past thread about insect behavior (specifically, burrowing into human skin).
That is a liitle surprising, since one reason I disengeged from that thread is because it seemed to be a lot of small talk and more discussion of birding itself than of birds.
I’m not sure I can agree with that. As Birdraghu mentioned, “many Important Bird Areas, forests, and natural spaces are being polluted by visitors, who often leave behind trash, noise, and disruption.” Personal enjoyment without a genuine environmental consciousness can be very wrong.
I have noticed that social media culture has created what might be called a Humpty-Dumpty mindset: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean.” And don’t you dare tell someone that they are misusing a word, especially if it is one that they have claimed as an identity. Identity labels beat out dictionaries every time.
While I still maintain that the definition of “birder” and “herper” are simply people who enjoy watching or photographing birds/herps for fun, this is absolutely true in many areas of society
I still don’t see anything wrong with personal enjoyment as long as you mind nature, not leaving trash, speaking at a normal level. I get what you are saying but I think that as long as you don’t shout and don’t litter (which I don’t see a lot at nature preserves near me).
Unfortunately I do see a good amount of litter at many nature preserves. Especially dog poop bags left by the side of the trail. Never understood why people do that, if you aren’t gonna pack it out just leave it, at least it’s biodegradable, unlike a plastic bag
That’s unfortunate. I mainly don’t see dog poop bags compared to just dog poop. I still think personal enjoyment is okay as long as you don’t litter. I also think if you bring a dog to a nature preserve you should be prepared for if or when your dog does poop.
Having lived in Costa Rica for close to 10 years, I can tell you that the solution is education and a societal commitment to the environment. In the 1980’s, Costa Rica was on a path to almost total deforestation but the vision of a single politician changed the country and Costa Rica has now invested three generations of effort into environmental awareness and conservation. I have seen things go so far as people stopping their cars on a busy road to pick up trash that was dropped by another driver. I’ve seen a society commit to the preservation of scarlet macaws through planting of food trees in their yard, to such an extent that you can now go to a local restaurant and see as many as 30 (30!!) in a single tree while you enjoy some ice cream.
As much as people like to doom-and-gloom the future of the planet, there are countries that have shown that economic success and environmental preservation are not mutually exclusive. And many of the people who visit the country come with their camera in hand to take photos of the flora and fauna for not other reason than it fills them with joy to know that it exists. They take their joy home and share it with friends who get vicarious joy from seeing their photos. Never underestimate the importance of enjoying nature as a means of promoting the preservation of nature. Condescending to those who don’t have the technical background to appreciate the ecological significance of squirrel monkey diets on forest composition does not mean they can’t go home and be a voice for environmental preservation.
The implication was that the people trashing the reserves are amateur naturalists, people who call themselves birders or herpers. But we don’t know that. The people despoiling the reserves could be poachers, dog walkers, picnickers, school children or Sundarban villagers. They could be foreigners or natives. Some could even be professional biologists.
