Wise use

A conservative movement in the United States whose goal is to roll back environmental regulations and make use of the land and resources for human purposes.

For Judith Hendry, Wise Use is "a well-organized, anti-environmental coalition [that] emerged to challenge the environmental protections that had gained a foothold in U.S. policies" (108).

examples/Positions

example 1

Amending the Endangered Species Act

Wise Use proposed changing the Endangered Species Act to classify some species "as relict species in decline before the appearance of man, including non-adaptive species such as the California Condor" (Beder).

example 2

Framing regulations as obstacles or useless.

According to the Wise Use website, the U.S. has a "gigantic morass of regulations that virtually stifle human intellectual and economic progress while doing little to solve actual environmental problems" (Beder).

example 3

Property Rights > Environmental Rights

Wise Use tends to emphasize the short-term, human impacts of environmental protections.

For example, Wise Use argues that the "locking up" of lands to protect plant and animal species leads to "the loss of timber jobs in the Pacific Northwest" (Beder).

References

Beder, S. (n.d.). Business-Managed Democracy. Business-Managed Environment - Wise Use Movement - Strategies and Tactics - Anti-Environmentalist. https://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/environment/wise/enemy.html

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