Before I leave the list...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Arnett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "BRIN-L@cornell. edu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 9:13 AM
Subject: Biodiversity, competition and cooperation
> One of the supposedly "illogical" or "extreme" positions taken by
> environmentalists is the protection of species for their own sake,
> regardless of whether we know the consequences of their loss. "Who needs
> the spotted owl?" and the like.
Actually, the protection of the spotted owl was not so much about preserving
the genetic data of that one species, but protecting an entire ecosystem.
Spotted owls are what is known as an indicator species. The health of the
owls is indicative of a the health of the habitat it lives in and the health
of the species it preys upon. If the spotted owl is dying off, and is not
being specifically targetted, that means that the health of not only the
spotted owl, but the entire ecosystem it is within is quite poor. Why "save
the spotted owl" instead of "save the ecosystem"? Simple, because there are
no ecosystem protection laws, but there are species protection laws, so
rallying behind one species can save a dozen species or more, not to mention
a large area of pristine forest. Quite logical if you ask me, and not
extreme at all, just using the existing laws to further the cause of
protecting nature.
