Keynote Address

Any review of resource management questions must address itself to the conceptual under-pinnings of the manager's attitudes. Our societies' perceptions of resources and their management, its definitions of problems, and its array of solutions all flow from its attitudes and predispositions. Attitudes and predispositions flow from the greater "paradigm" (worldview, or concensus of reality) which commands the thinking of a particular society or culture at a particular time. Paradigms whose time has passed are seen, in hindsight, as historical curiosities. Since evolutionary change appears to occur not only in species and communities but also in societies and their ideas, I assume that "paradigm variation" is in constant process. An examination of prevailing and alternative concepts sheds light on our perceptions of our activities and of our problems in respect to them. Conventional solutions may or may not be appropriate to a differently perceived set of questions. The immediate priority, it is suggested, is problem definition. Keywords: Renewable Resource Management, Philosophy of resource management, History, Future needs, Resource Conservation Strategy.