Ethics of conservation

Saturday 17 March 2012

Let them go?

Is there any justification for allowing some species go extinct and not try to prevent their disappearance forever?  A recent article in the New Scientist provides a glimpse at the arguments being proposed in this debate.  With the West African black rhinoceros going extinct and the Javan rhino declared extinct in Vietnam and Malaysia, can endangered species be saved by in situ conservation measures?  In Option G 4 Conservation of biodiversity, students are to examine the in situ and ex situ measures.  At what costs are humans willing to pay to save endangered species?  As the IUCN claims, "we will inevitably lose species... we must choose and that depends on many parameters."  The rhinos may be lost causes but the impact will this have on their ecosystems may not be realised for many years.


Tags: endangered species extinct optG