经济学人328:回归野性

 　　IN A quiet spot in eastern Montana, on rolling golden prairies and under vast skies, 71 buffalo¹ calves² charge out of a corral. Kicking up dust as they run, they quickly join a herd³ of several hundred American buffalo of all ages. The calves had arrived by road from Elk⁴ Island reserve in Canada; they are pure descendants of the buffalo that once lived in this area. At the end of the 19th century just a few were saved from American hunters and bred, in peace, on the other side of the border.

　　在美国蒙大拿州东部一块安静的草原上，天空广阔无垠，金色草原延绵起伏。71头刚从栅栏中被释放出来的小野牛，奔向草原，地上的尘土被他们跑动的蹄子卷到半空高。很快，他们就加入了一个由几百只美洲野牛组成的牛群中，这个牛群拥有不同年龄段的野牛。这些小野牛们是通过公路从加拿大鹿岛自然保护区运送到蒙大拿州的；他们是纯正的美洲野牛，其祖先曾经生活在这里。到上世纪19世纪末，只有一少部分野牛因在边境的另一边，幸免于美国狩人的猎杀，能够安然无恙的生活并幸存下来。

　　Before Europeans arrived in North America as many as 60m buffalo are estimated to have ranged across the Great Plains. From around 1830, however, they were systematically⁵ killed until only a handful remained. Buffalo were taken for their hides, or simply because they were getting in the way of settlers. Men like Buffalo Bill slaughtered⁶ thousands.

　　在欧洲人进入北美之前，估计有6000万头野牛分布于美洲大平原。从大约1830年起，它们就被有组织的捕猎，只有一小部分幸存了下来。当时，人们捕杀野牛的原因很简单，因为捕杀野牛可以获得野牛皮，或者仅仅是因为有些移民认为野牛妨碍了他们而杀掉它们，像类似于野牛比尔这样的屠杀者数以千计。

　　At the end there was also a deliberate policy of wiping out the lumbering⁷ giants in order to remove the staple⁸ food source of Native Americans and to force them on to reservations. Last week’s buffalo “homecoming” was an emotional event for the Gros Ventre and Salish-Kootenai tribes who witnessed it.

　　最后，为驱逐美洲原住民，当时的政府出台政策，鼓励人们杀掉这些动作缓慢的大型动物，阻断原住民的主要食物来源，从而迫使他们搬到到保留区去。上周，美国怀俄明州格若斯维崔和蒙大拿萨利希库特奈部落见证了美洲野牛的“回乡之旅”，对于他们来说，心情百感交集。

　　Ultimately it is logic⁹ and enormous ambition that lie behind the return of the buffalo to Montana. The idea, says Sean Gerrity, president of the American Prairie Reserve (APR), a charity, is to create the largest wildlife reserve anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. Mr Gerrity wants to rebuild a vast native prairie of 3.6m acres (9.9m hectares) where an enormous herd of wild buffalo can roam free once again.

　　暨野牛回归蒙大拿活动之后，有一个更合乎自然逻辑和更为雄心勃勃的想法。这个想法，按照美国慈善组织--美国草原保护区协会主席肖恩.盖瑞蒂的说法，就是要创建一个遍布各地并将48个州连成一体的最大的野生保护区。盖瑞蒂先生想再造一个360万英亩（990万公顷）大的天然大草原，在那里，大群的野牛能再次自由的漫步、奔跑。

　　Recreating America’s version of Africa’s Serengeti means thinking big. A sustainable ecosystem¹⁰ needs to be able to cope with fires, disease and icing over of parts of the ground in the winter. But such a reserve would be of international significance. Grasslands¹¹, which are economically valuable as farmland, are enormously underrepresented in nature reserves in America and worldwide. Temperate¹² grasslands have the lowest level of protection of the world’s 14 recognised “biomes”, or habitats.

　　打造美国版的非洲塞伦盖蒂大平原需要考虑很多事情。需要建立一个能应对火灾、疾病以及冬季局部寒冷气候的可持续的生态系统。但是，建立这样的一个野生保护区将具有国际性的重大意义。从经济层面上讲，草原的价值决不低于农田，但在世界各地以及美国，草原没有得到应有的重视，正大量的减少。在世界14个受保护的生物群落和栖息地中，温带草地的保护水平最低。

　　APR is currently spending about $6m a year, largely on land. By autumn it will own or lease 270,000 acres. One of the first jobs APR has to do when it obtains land is to remove the fences. A single ranch¹³ can easily have more than 800 miles of barriers. APR will ultimately be able to stitch together a network of private and public land to create its reserve. But even though the land is cheap, at around $450 an acre, APR will need $330m to set up the reserve and a further $120m for an endowment to maintain it and pay for grazing rights.

　　目前，美国草原保护区协会每年投入大约600万美元，主要用于购买土地。到今年秋天，该组织将通过购买或者租赁的方式获得270，000英亩土地。拿到地以后，首先要做的工作其中之一就是去掉围栏。一个农场一般都会有超过800里长的栅栏。该协会最终将把私有土地和公共的土地连成一片，建立起自己的保护区。但是即便土地很便宜，按照大约1亩450美元来计算，美国草原保护区协会要建立起保护区仍将需要330万美元；此外，为了维持草原和支付放牧费，该协会还需要另外筹集120万元的资金才行。

　　Buying land in eastern Montana is not difficult. Thanks to its lack of water, ranching¹⁴ in the area is hard work, often marginal and increasingly unpopular with the children of ranchers. Those ranches¹⁵ that are still in business are in effect subsidised by the government, which charges grazing fees of just $1.35 a month for each cow on federal land.

　　购买土地在蒙大拿州东部并不难。由于缺乏雨水，经营牧场是一件很辛苦的事，越来越多的牧场主后代对此并不感兴趣，牧场经营业务正逐渐被边缘化。那些还在维持经营的牧场是因为有了政府的补贴才得以继续，当地政府对于本州土地上的每只牛，按照每月仅仅1.35美元来征收放牧费。

　　In only 14 years from now, thanks largely to the buffalo’s natural fecundity¹⁶, APR will have over 5,000 buffalo, the largest conservation herd on the planet. Significantly, this herd will be entirely¹⁷ free of cattle genes—unlike most existing buffalo herds¹⁸ in America, which have interbred with domestic cattle. Officially, the American buffalo is now a type of livestock¹⁹. But one day, if Mr Gerrity gets his way, his buffalo will be declared wild animals again.

　　由于野牛的自然繁殖能力很强，只需要14年，美国草原保护区协会将拥有超过5000头野牛，成为全球最大的野牛自然保护区。更为重要的是，这个群体将完全是纯种野生基因，而非像美国现存的许多野牛群，是与驯养的家牛杂交的后代。在美国官方看来，现在的美洲野牛实际上就是家牛的一种，但是如果盖瑞蒂先生的方法可行，那么有一天，他的野牛将会被官方重新认可为野生野牛。

　　Part of the restoration project requires the return of another crucial species: the prairie dog. This “dog” is actually a small ground squirrel that forms large underground colonies. More important, it is the Chicken McNugget of the prairie—a convenient snack food for almost every creature, from burrowing²⁰ owls²¹ and ferruginous hawks²² to foxes and even wolves.

　　完成回归计划还需要一个重要的环节，那就是另外一个决定性物种的回归：草原野狗。这个“狗”实际上是一种较小的地面松鼠，它们能够在地下建造一个地下世界。更重要的是，它就像是草原的麦乐鸡，一种几乎可以为各种草原动物提供的方便小吃，从穴鸮和铁鹰到狐狸，甚至狼。

　　Prairie dogs are hated by ranchers, who say their burrows²³ pose a danger to cattle. So they are poisoned on a large scale. APR is in the early stages of developing a wildlife-friendly label for beef produced on ranches that are friendly to such prairie wildlife. In many parts of the world, such labels allow producers to command premiums²⁴ for their produce.

　　农场主们憎恨草原野狗，因为他们认为野狗们的洞穴会对牛构成威胁，所以对它们进行了大规模的毒杀。在早些时候，对那些友善对待这种草原野生动物的农场，美国草原保护区协会为他们的牛肉产品发放野生动物友好型标记。在世界的许多地方，拥有这样的标记，意味着生产商们可以对其产品提高价格。

　　Mr Gerrity says that the reserve will take decades to complete. But one day, he says, Americans will be able to come on safari²⁵ in their own country and roam across the prairies, unencumbered by fences, to view abundance rather than emptiness.

　　盖瑞蒂先生说，建造保护区需要花上几十年的时间才能完成。但是他说，希望有一天，美国人能跨越大草原而不受到任何围栏的阻碍，在他们自己的国家自由的旅行，看到丰富而多样的世界而非空洞贫瘠的旷野。

　　When the explorers Lewis and Clark arrived in Montana in 1805 they found more wildlife than they had seen in any other part of their journey; elk, antelope²⁶, deer, beavers²⁷ and grizzly²⁸ bears. The buffalo came in “gangues” of tens of thousands. Restoring the abundance seen by early explorers, and with nothing more than private money, is a worthy²⁹ gift to any nation.

　　1805年，当探险者刘易斯和克拉克抵达蒙大纳时,他们发现了很多野生动物，有麋鹿、羚羊、鹿、海狸和灰熊，比他们以往旅途中所到过的每个地方都多。数以万计的野牛进入蒙大拿州。对任何国家来说，利用私人资金，恢复早期探险者所看见的丰富而多样的世界，是一件极具价值的事情。

1 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

2 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

4 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

5 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

6 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

8 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

9 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

10 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

11 grasslands   

n.草原，牧场( grassland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来，种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

13 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

14 ranching   

adj.放牧的

参考例句：

• They cleared large tracts of forest for farming, logging and ranching. 他们清除了大片的森林以经营农耕、采伐与畜牧。
• This is a trade center in a ranching and oil-producing region. 这是一个牧场与产油区的贸易中心。

15 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

16 fecundity   

n.生产力；丰富

参考例句：

• The probability of survival is the reciprocal of fecundity.生存的概率是生殖力的倒数。
• The boy's fecundity of imagination amazed his teacher.男孩想像力的丰富使教师感到惊异。

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

19 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

20 burrowing   

v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• What are you burrowing around in my drawer for? 你在我抽屉里乱翻什么？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The forepaws are also used for burrowing and for dragging heavier logs. 它们的前爪还可以用来打洞和拖拽较重的树干。 来自辞典例句

21 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

22 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

23 burrows   

n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• The intertidal beach unit contains some organism burrows. 潮间海滩单元含有一些生物潜穴。 来自辞典例句
• A mole burrows its way through the ground. 鼹鼠会在地下钻洞前进。 来自辞典例句

24 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

26 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

27 beavers   

海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人

参考例句：

• In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
• Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的，蜜蜂是这样做的，人也是这样做的。

28 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。

29 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。