Although the notion of ‘de-extinction’ is quite appealing, I
feel a sense of concern. This sense of concern is two-fold. One concern is in
relation to the inherent complexities of the process within ecosystems and the second
concern is for the urgency and the feeling of needing to protect critically
endangered species.
Processes within ecosystems are very complex and there is a
possibility that when one species is no longer a contributor to an ecosystem
other species fill that ecological niche. Thus, if a species is re-introduced
could there be a potential for it to disrupt the processes that have developed
since its departure? Or, What would be
the outcome of an extinct species re-entering into an ecosystem where its
potential competitor is also on the brink of extinction? For example the
Thylacine re-entering the Tasmanian wilderness with the Tasmanian Devil
suffering from DFTD and habitat fragmentation/lose. Of course there is the
possibility that the returned species will fit nicely back into its ecological
niche. Yet that is the nature of ecosystems, they are highly complex and
unique, outcomes could be positive to ecological processes or negative.
According to Tilbury and Wortman (2004), sustainability is
about addressing the cause of problems, not the symptoms. I feel that the use
of ‘de-extinction’ is a potential band-aid to the fact that we are going through
a period of rapid species loss that is largely attributed to human activities.
Although did not state that this is a
solution to saving species from extinction I fear that it could be seen as a
potential solution by others, therefore diminishing the feeling of urgency and
need to protect these species. I feel that one of the answers to species
extinction is addressing the causes. That is, societal attitudes and systems
that allow human activities to impact on the survival of other species and not
the symptoms, which is extinction. Although this may seem like an almost
impossible task, would it not be wonderful if other species’ survival were
valued in all facets of society?
