Editorial Essay

The word nomad, etymologically from the Greek word for pasture, evokes images of a pastoral landscape, a culture that relocates periodically, and suggests also that people's movement might occur in accordance with "rhythms of the landscape." Nomadic cultures, particularly those which survive today in the face of increasing cultural homogeneity, have long held a fascination for more settled cultures. NOMAD is not however, an anthropological investigation of differing nomadic cultures and their representation. Rather, the use of nomad as a theme for this issue provides the opportunity to conceive of the idea of nomad more broadly through themes of travel, movement, memory, displacement, imposition of boundaries and ideas about home, Diaspora and belonging. The nomad is at once the versatile intellectual, the wandering revolutionary, the environmental studies student, the cyber junky, the canoe tripper, and so on.&nbsp

Urban Greenspace, Civil Society and Science: The Creation and Management of the Rouge Park, Ontario, Canada.

Earth is becoming more urban. As the human population continues the current trend of migrating towards urbanized regions, the pressures to develop urban greenspaces will inevitably increase. Greenspaces play a critical role in urban livability for both human and non-human beings. This research examines the creation and management of the Rouge Park (Ontario, Canada), which is a large greenspace approximately 46 km2 located in the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area. The output of this research consists of three parts. The first provides an identification of the relevant actors, and a detailed chronology of the social and political events that led to the establishment of the Rouge Park. The second section explores the competing narratives of science, conservation, and development that were fundamental in shaping the protected area that we see today. The final section examines the governance and administration of the Rouge Park, and investigates the activities and involvement of civil society actors working in its day-to-day management. Using qualitative methods, I demonstrate that science and scientific expertise can be powerful tools of legitimization for civil society actors. In particular, I examine the benefits and pitfalls of placing ecologically-based rationalizations at the forefront of conservation policy deliberations. Furthermore, I show that despite shortcomings in the governance structure of the park, the current arrangement has provided civil society actors with increased opportunities to shape their community. My results show that a locally grounded nature conservation movement can serve as a powerful motivating force for citizens to enact long-term environmental planning initiatives.Ph