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https://theconversation.com/with-every-extinction-we-lose-not-just-a-species-but-a-treasure-trove-of-knowledge-263717>
"The millions of species humans share the world with are valuable in their own
right. When one species is lost, it has a ripple effect throughout the
ecosystems it existed within.
But there’s a hidden toll. Each loss takes something from humanity too.
Extinction silences scientific insights, ends cultural traditions and snuffs
out spiritual connections enriching human life.
For instance, when China’s baiji river dolphin vanished, local memory of it
faded within a single generation. When New Zealand’s giant flightless moa were
hunted to extinction, the words and body of knowledge associated with them
began to fade.
In these ways, conservation is as much about safeguarding knowledge as it is
about saving nature, as I suggest in my research.
We’re currently living through what scientists call the planet’s sixth mass
extinction. Unlike earlier events triggered by natural catastrophes, today’s
accelerating losses are overwhelmingly driven by human activities, from habitat
destruction to introduced species to climate change. Current extinction rates
are tens to hundreds of times higher than natural levels. The United Nations
warns up to 1 million species may disappear this century, many within decades.
This extinction crisis isn’t just a loss to broader nature – it’s a loss for
humans."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
