Science and the National Parks: A Transatlantic Perspective on the Interwar Years

Abstract

The years between the two World Wars were a vital period in the global diffusion and the transnational modification and multiplication of the national park idea. It was during these decades that the American national park system took its distinct shape and the first national parks in Europe were established. At the same time, the science of ecology and ecological attitudes achieved prominence and offered a challenge as well as a new scientific underpinning of the national park idea on both sides of the Atlantic. The implementation of ecological ideas in national park policies, however, varied considerably from place to place. While ecological thinking failed to exert a lasting influence on the development of American national parks before World War II, it was of higher significance in Europe. The Swiss National Park stood out as a nature reserve extensively shaped by scientific theories and practices. The investigation of the intersection of science and national parks in a transatlantic perspective reveals that these variations essentially stemmed from a different role of science and scientists both in the establishment and administration of national parks and in their public justification.