RECREATIONAL AND AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS

The National Park System was created to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unpaired for the enjoyment objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the of future generations” (NPS Organic Act. In Lowry 1998). Bison are an icon of this endeavor.

The survival of the infected bison in Yellowstone National Park, and the conflict that it raises, exemplifies a fundamental opposition of values and behavior. On one hand, we have the survival of the bison as a fundamental keystone species of the ecosystem and the image of the natural North America that is sells to tourists. This is a priority for some actors despite the infection and the potential brucellosis transmission to cattle. On the other hand, we have the livestock industry and its dependent population that perceives the presence of the bison as a threat, and for whom their own survival, and the survival of their rancher way of life take precedence over the bison welfare.

Also, other actors have an opposition of ideological values and economic interests associated with brucellosis.  Each of these perceptions of the landscape and its uses has one or more groups of economic beneficiaries. This opposition materializes the modern conflict between economy of extraction and production (primary and secondary sectors), and an economy based on the offer of services, tourism and related activities (tertiary sector).