Biodiversity - from tigers in Bhutan to gila monsters in the United States to the lone wild Spix's Macaw in Brazil to Horned beetles in Africa to the goldfish in your home to tube worms in hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean to sea cucumbers living on the coral reefs of Madagascar to the mites on your cheese - is makes life on Earth livable for our species. By extinguishing hotbeds of biodiversity - rainforests, wetlands, coral reefs, and grasslands - we are destroying a part of ourselves. Biodiversity will recover after humanity is gone, but in the meantime, the continuing loss of our fellow species will make Earth an awfully crowded, but lonely place.
Past extinctions have shown it takes at least 5 million years to restore biodiversity to the level equal to that prior of the extinction event event. Our actions today will determine whether Earth will be biologically impoverished for the 500 trillion or more humans that will inhabit the earth during that future period.
The extinction event that is occurring as you read these words rivals the extinctions caused by natural disasters of global ice ages, planetary collisions, atmospheric poisoning, and variations in solar radiation. The difference is that this extinction was conceived by humans and subject to human decisions. We are the last, best hope for life as we prefer it on this planet.
The lesson of A Place Out of Time is we may not have to accept this future. A lot can still be done. Using our intelligence and ingenuity, the human species can preserve biodiversity and unique places for future generations, without compromising the quality of life for present populations.
Recently updated conservation news topics:
Sacramento Zoo
Sacred Ibis
Safranbolu
Sagarmatha National Park
Sahara Desert
Saint Catherine
Saker
Saladang
Salamanca
Salonga
Salt-water Crocodile
Salt Marsh
Saltaire
Salvador de Bahia
Salzburg
Samarkand
San Diego Wild Animal Park
San Diego Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
San Gimignano
San Paolo Fuori le Mura
San Pedro de la Roca Castle
Sana'a
Sanchi
Sand Gazelle
Sand Monitor
Sandhill Crane
Sans-Souci
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Santiago de Compostela
Santo Domingo
Sasin
Savanna
Saw-whet Owl
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scaly Anteater
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Macaw
Scimitar-horned Oryx
Scorpion
Sea Cat
Sea Cow
Sea Horse
Sea Lion Caves
Sea Otter
Sea Sturgeon
Seahorse
Seattle Aquarium
Sedgwick County Zoo
Segovia
Seine River
Senegal Parrot
Seokguram Grotto
Sequoia Park Zoo
Serengeti National Park
Serow
Serval
Sevruga
Shark Bay
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Shibam
Shikra
Ship
Short-eared Owl
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Shortnose sturgeon
Shoveler
Shrubland
Siamese Crocodile
Sian Ka'an
Siberian Crane
Siberian Sturgeon
Siberian Tiger
Siberian Weasel
Siena
Sighisoara
Singing Parrot
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Sintra
Sitatunga
Sloth Bear
Slow Loris
Snail Kite
Snake River
Snow Leopard
Snowcap
Snowy Owl
Solovetsky Islands
Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Pronghorn
Sooty Falcon
Sooty Mangabey
Sooty Owl
South Carolina Aquarium
South China Sea
Southern Ocean
Southern Right Whale
Southern Sea Otter
Southern White Rhinoceros
Southern Oland
Southwick's Zoo
Spadefish
Sparrowhawk
Species Loss
Spectacled Bear
Spectacled Caiman
Spectacled Flying-fox
Spectacled Owl
Sperm Whale
Spinner Dolphin
Spoonbill
Spot-nosed Monkey
Spotted Eagle
Spotted Owl
Spotted Owlet
Spotted Turtle
St. Kilda
St. Petersburg
Staghorn Coral
Statue of Liberty
Steinhart Aquarium
Stellate Sturgeon
Steller's Sea-Eagle
Sterkfontein
Sterlet
Stonehenge
Stralsund
Stream
Stream Restoration
Sturgeon
Sub-Antarctic Islands
Sukhothai
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Summer Palace
Sun-fish
Sun Bear
Sun Conure
Sun Temple
Sundarbans
Sunset Zoo
Susu
Suzdal
Swainson's Hawk
Swamp
Swamp Deer
Swamp Turtle
Swinhoe's Pheasant
Sydney Aquarium
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