“We value what’s here
but to realize how much more was here before, that this place, North America,
had manifestations of life unrivaled anywhere in the world… There’s no better cautionary
tale to the proposition that, no matter how abundant it is, you can lose it.”
You can lose many things, including your natural landscapes
and the species living in them. But can
you also get them back?
Among the many social media trends that have arisen during
the COVID-19 pandemic has been a string of news stories depicting a resurgent nature. From elephants in China to dolphins in the
canals of Venice, these stories give people hope that, at the very least,
nature is doing well, possible even thriving.
Unfortunately, most of these stories are incorrect or inaccurate, some
made up, some exaggerations, and some depicting things which were already true
and trying to paint them as a positive side effect of the current crisis.
As screwed up as this planet is, it’s going to take a lot
more than a few weeks of humans keeping inside to make much of a difference.
Still, these stories reflect one truth about our society –
we’re always trying to be hopeful, imagining that it’s possible to reclaim that
which has been lost. We don’t want to
think that the natural world is doomed.
And it’s true – there have been cases of endangered species returning,
habitats being restored, and ecosystems rebuilt.
Resurrection Science:
Conservation, De-Extinction, and the Precarious Future of Wild Things, by
M. R. O’Connor, is a collection of
stories detailing the efforts to restore lost species. Some, such as the Kihansi spray toad of
Tanzania, were lost only in the sense that they were extinct in the wild, but
populations survived under human care in zoos. Others, such as the passenger
pigeon of North America, were once plentiful, seemingly infinite in their
numbers, and are now extinct… at least until ambitious scientists finally unlock
the secrets of cloning. There are even
floated ideas about perhaps the most controversial cloning project of all – the
resurrection of our extinct sister species, Homo
neanderthalensis.
Most of the species highlighted aren’t quite so shocking or
controversial. One case study recounts
the efforts to save Florida’s iconic panthers by introducing new blood in the
form of Texas cougars – a move which some scientists credit with bringing the
endangered big cats from extinction, while others feel essentially erased the unique
subspecies by creating a new, blended panther.
Another involves the efforts to salvage the genetic material of the last
few northern white rhinos, clinging to existence in the low single digits,
waiting for their inevitable extinction unless a method of preserving them can
be found. Some of the stories seem more
along the lines of science fiction than traditional conservation biology, but
all hold, with varying degrees of practicality, the potential to rewild the
world.
Yes, O’Connor challenges the reader, but at what cost?
Considering the Kihansi spray toads, O’Connor reminds the
reader that the existence of this diminutive amphibian was only brought to the
world’s attention when they were discovered prior to the construction of a
hydroelectric dam in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains. Tanzania is a poor country, with the economic
potential of its people being limited in large part by a lack of access to
electric power.
Is the fate of a small, obscure species that occupies only a
football field-sized patch of damp meadow worth not taking steps that could
improve the lives of millions of people?
Is it responsible to bring passenger pigeons back from the dead, only to
create one more species in need of intensive conservation management when there
are already so many in need of help? Is
the Florida panther that we have today really a Florida panther still? And if it’s not, should we be spending so
much time and effort managing it? We’ve
accepted a panther-free Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, etc… what
difference does Florida really make?
O’Connor isn’t an anti-conservation crank, and her writings
share her deep concern about the survival of species. Instead, she simply challenges her readers,
reminding them that we have to be willing to ask these questions, and others
like them. We’re never, ever getting
back to a pristine nature, untouched by the hand of man. For many species, their continued survival
will be due to intensive management, both in the wild, the zoo, and, in some
cases, the genetics lab. We need to
decide what kind of “natural” world we’re going to be leaving to future
generations. Part of that might involve
realizing that we can’t save everything… though we can still try.
Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things at Amazon.com
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