When talking to visitors of our museum/zoo, some of the most frequent questions asked are "Why is keeping species from going extinct an activity worthwhile to pursue?" or "Why does it matter if this midge or that tick is going extinct?".
While most biologists will probably reply that species have very specific roles in their ecosystems and thus the extinction of one species can probably affect others, too, or that each species is part of the richness of our nature (a value in itself so to speak), some non-biologists are often not that easily convinced (especially when you refer to species not very attractive to the human eye). What even more hampers an easy answer is that more than 99% of species that ever existed have died out in the course of evolution. So what is all that conservationist effort, to 'preserve the current state' all about? Changes in biodiversity and mass extinctions have always happened, so why don't we let it just happen now (to put it insensibly)? There are also some human related arguments, for example "we breathe air and thus need plants of some sort". But that does not mean I need every plant species on the planet to produce oxygen, crops will do that, too...
I would like to hear your thoughts on this to have some good arguments at hand when dealing with the next inquisitive visitor. ;-)
need procedures in area. An important part of life is biological diversity. Keeping it - is an emphasis on the future generation.
I think it was David Quammen who suggested that a species should be likened to unique works of culture like paintings, architecture, etc. Most people would agree that if we lose, e.g., Cologne Cathedral, we would lose something unique that cannot be replaced in its entirety and with species it is basically the same thing, so among other reasons, they should simply be protected because they are unique and irreplaceble.
Dear Stefan Curth
The same question I ask myself every day? What would happen if a plant became extinct that no one knew and no one used at all? What happened to me when many creatures became extinct before, and I did not know about them?
And since my specialty is to assess the conservation status of endemic endangered species according to the IUCN red list, I assure you that there is an impact that will occur that we may not notice in our daily life, but it has affected in one way or another on the surrounding environment. We are not the center of the universe, but we are only part of it. It may not matter to us the extinction of a plant or animal, but the surrounding environment will be affected by its loss.
The loss of an organism is matched by a loss of environmental service provided
Nature recovers and adjusts on its own, but what created the problem was man, who made the speed of destruction much faster than the speed of recovery, so the universe collapsed
Have you ever asked yourself what will happen if humans become extinct?
There will be turmoil in the short term, but in the long term nature will regain its efficiency as usual, and no one will miss us
maintaining global biodiversity is the duty of every person. We use nature. If we give him affection - he gives us affection. Biological Diversity-holds the balance of the Earth. All are inextricably linked.
The current mass extinction event is almost entirely related to human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels links to climate change. The rate of species loss is also much greater than in the past too (except when they were thought to be associated with asteroid impacts etc) the majority have been due to environmental changes happening over a period of time. Thereafter there was a period of imbalance across the globe. We have the power to stop species becoming extinct which is important to the network of ecosystem functions.
As an ecologist, I have spent the last 30 years studying food webs. In my opinion, conserving global diversity matters because each individual (organism, species, genus...) inherently contains unique responses to the current environmental conditions. When they cease to exist the spectrum of responses to changes in the environment is reduced. Furthermore, diversity is the product of evolution, whereas homogeneity is the products of humans. Humans are responsible for the 6th mass extinction, clear-cut forests, light pollution, micro plastics everywhere, and other forms of environmental degradation. Therefore, it is in our best interest to maximize biological diversity and habitat restoration because it will enhance our ability to adapt to a more extreme and uncertain future climate.
Ansam Abdullah Not sure, whether the butterfly effect is a good argument here. It is generally just about unpredictability. A catastrophy in the future could also happen, because we save a species from getting extinct instead of letting it going extinct. This is my understanding, please correct me if I am wrong.
need procedures in area. An important part of life is biological diversity. Keeping it - is an emphasis on the future generation.
Dear Stefan, Susan, Megan,
There are major concerns in this question: how long will your discussion with the next inquisitive visitor last: a quick reply will mention cascade effects but if you spend 30 mn mention changes in land uses, stochastic events that will impact the structure, functions (emptying a niche...) and tell your visitor to read "Conservation Biogeography" by Whittaker and Laddle, journals or visit websites.
There is so much to cover that you could spend......ages.....and you also need to stay calm!
All the best,
Guy
Dear Stefan,
You raise the most difficult, and most important, question of our time - how to convince people that nature matters. I am an ecologist, a member of an IUCN specialist group, and have signed the 2017 "World Scientists' warning to Humanity: a Second Notice" (the first, was 25 years before, and nothing happened).
A major problem is that even scientists cannot agree; many have a "we can fix it" attitude, for example suggesting a shield of reflective needles to cool the earth.
I consider these problems in an essay (easy reading, just Google John Flux Haruspex) where I conclude "Continued growth it technologically possible at the expense of a natural environment, but renders humanity increasingly vulnerable to sudden extinction".
You may find some of it useful for those visitors. Good luck.
All the best, John
Global biodiversity is like a symphony with species as the instruments. Although it can still make music when sections of instruments are missing, it has lost its integrity and the ability to make more complex and beautiful sounds. Check out this Invisibilia episode (https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/821648089/the-last-sound) for an impactful explanation.
Considering the audience you mentioned, in a nutshell, and not quite scientific: In the big picture (Universe) not much, for humankind, everything!" Fundamental for the concept of One Health.
Biodiversity or biological resources have made substantial contribution to human welfare. Much of man's progress has been associated with the conservation of biological resources, especially for the supply of food, fuel, fiber or medicine. The global economy depends greatly on these biological resources that are exploited to serve various purposes.
May I direct you to my publication in Austral Ecology? I lay out an argument for conserving species beyond the "ecosystem services" argument (and raise critical points as to why the ES argument fails to conserve biodiversity). PDF attached.
Just to give you a metaphor
What does it matter to take out a bar in the game of Jenga.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenga
First one - no problem most probably.
Second one ...
All the best
Nikola
(and Jenga is simple)
From an ecological point of view, everything is connected. Every species has its own roles and functions in global biodiversity conservation. An equally important question, how does this biological diversity benefit humankind now and in the future? I do agree with the argument by Nikolaus Szucsich, Munira Nasiruddin, Derek A. Rosenfield, Susan R. Salafsky, Ozodbek Abduraimov.
Moreover, every species has its own ecological elasticity as well as life span. Indeed, we should play our maximum effort to not be cause for their extinction.
Best regards,
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