Recently I came into closer contact with the philosophy of ‘sustainability’. We are thereby encouraged to waste less, grow more, use compostable products and recycle where possible. The health of the planet undoubtedly depends on our adopting a more thoughtful attitude in all aspects of living. But this philosophy seems to overlook one important aspect – ourselves. What could sustainability mean when applied to the human animal? Other animals sustain themselves instinctively – they behave in ways, developed through evolution, which ensure their survival as individuals, in groups and for the continuation of the species. Perhaps a better word is ‘conservation’: other animal species have evolved to ensure their conservation. Unfortunately, their natural inclinations are all too often thwarted by us, through domestication, destroying their habitats and introducing foreign competitors.

But how about us? What do we need to do to conserve ourselves, and to sustain our bodies and minds throughout our ever-increasing life span? As in previous blogs, perhaps the simplest approach is to recall what was essential to survival following the separation of our hominid predecessors from the primate line and the subsequent evolution of Homo sapiens. Our early ancestors were upright, migrant, opportunists with large brains capable of problem-solving, of retaining knowledge, skills and memories, of curiosity and of anticipating future events. They lived in small bands and, in order to find food and evade predators, migrated to most inhabitable areas of the world.

Settlements and agriculture are very recent changes in human behaviour; too short a time for evolution to make the necessary adjustments for living in dense conurbations where movement is restricted and brains are harnessed to solve entirely different problems, including that of living in harmony with thousands of the same species. We are still shaped to behave more like free-roaming cats or brumbies, than ants or bees. So what can we do to sustain our, as yet, un-evolved bodies and brains? What can be done to conserve our integrity as human animals? These issues will be addressed in further blogs.