We rarely stop to think how the loss of one species, such as the Cheetah, can have a ripple effect through an entire ecosystem. Whether predator or prey, each species is vital to the survival of other species and when their numbers are reduced to effective extinction threshold it can become impossible to restore that species to its former place. The North Atlantic cod is a perfect example. Fished to near extinction we placed a moratorium on commercial fishing but it was too late. Other species had filled the vacuum leaving insufficient marine habitat for the cod to return to their former place in the food chain. Again, nemesis follows in the wake of hubris.
We rarely stop to think how the loss of one species, such as the Cheetah, can have a ripple effect through an entire ecosystem. Whether predator or prey, each species is vital to the survival of other species and when their numbers are reduced to effective extinction threshold it can become impossible to restore that species to its former place. The North Atlantic cod is a perfect example. Fished to near extinction we placed a moratorium on commercial fishing but it was too late. Other species had filled the vacuum leaving insufficient marine habitat for the cod to return to their former place in the food chain. Again, nemesis follows in the wake of hubris.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to think, in our arrogance, Mound, that the balance of the earth can be changed, at our whim, with no consequences.
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