Preserve (Civ6)/Civilopedia

In 1862, American writer Henry David Thoreau, wrote that “in wildness is the preservation of the world.” Thoreau was, of course, writing from a particular cultural and historical background, pushing for a Romantic view of nature as something restorative to the human spirit, but something of his statement has rung true for civilizations in many times and places. Civilizations, even as they alter or sometimes flat-out destroy the natural world, seek to preserve something of what they have lost, perhaps seeing that there remains something outside of their grasp. Shinto shrines in Japan keep preserved groves of trees, waterfalls, or even herds of deer in honor of nature spirits. Medieval and early modern European palaces had hunting preserves for the nobility, places often now converted into public parks for the rest and rejuvenation of the masses. These are not exactly wild spaces as Thoreau might have it, but rather wildness cultivated and pruned, made to serve the purposes of the city for beauty, relaxation, hunting, sport, reflection, meditation, or simply a bit of fresh air.