"We Humans Are Above Nature!" A Chilling Case.

So in my last post, "Are we Above Nature?" I dove straight into trying to prove that Humans are not above nature, and that on the contrary, nature governs us. 

The Main Point
Relating back to my previous post, what I find most frightening is not to think that Nature is indomitable to us, but that some of us (although I'm sure not most) would fathom that this weren't true.

Spix's Macaw: 85 left (2010), all in captivity

Because when one underestimates our dependence on nature and overestimates nature's ability to conserve and replenish its resources, the same result can occur: 

We could destroy it without knowing.

Let's get a couple examples.


Spix's Macaw: (critically endangered) As of 2010, there are 85 left. All of them are held in captivity in four separate facilities. 76 of them are involved in breeding programs, carefully monitored in an effort to recover the species. Thought to be extinct in the wild. Decline in numbers attributed to capture, destruction of habitat, introduction of the Africanized Bee (killer bees) that kill nesting individuals and compete for habitat. Depends completely on Caraibeira (Tabebuia aurea) tree for nesting.

Buffalo: (bison bison) also known as the American Bison (current conservation status: near threatened). Once numbering in tens of millions, they were lessened to less than 300 little more than a century ago with Western settlement. Fortunately, conservational efforts worked to restore the population. They now number in the tens of thousands, although nowhere near the population it once was, it is unlikely it will ever face extinction ever again. 

American Bison (Bison bison)

 
  Pinta Island Tortoise: (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni) One subspecies of Galapagos tortoises (current conservation status: extinct in wild) It is represented by a single individual, known as Lonesome George (possibly by a second individual at Prague Zoo, called "Tony"). 
Decline of the species has been linked to the introduction of feral goats, to the Islands, where the tortoises reside. They were abandoned by whalers, pirates etc. in order to ensure meat supply when they returned. 

Lonesome George, could probably care less that he's very possibly the last of his kind...except for the lack of ladies.

Recently, the feral goat population has been exterminated, the health of the ecosystem is returning to a healthy state. Too late, it seems, for the Pinta Island Tortoises. 

SO IN CONCLUSION
The species above were reduced by many factors, but human intervention was a major one. A poor understanding of the ecosystem they set their shoes on, a subsequent overestimation of the providing power of nature, causes the devastation of species, reversal of ecosystems, destruction of biodiversity and ultimately, the destruction of the very Nature we love and depend on. 

A failure to understand the intricacy of every environment, the belief that humans are above nature, would lead to not only extinction of beloved species, but our own species. 

"We Humans Are Above Nature, we decide what lives and what dies!" 

The Pirates hundreds of years ago chose to introduce goats to Galapagos, it exterminated more than one tortoise species found nowhere else. Brazil wanted expansion of land, that means clear cutting. It reduced the Spix's Macaw to 85 individuals. Western settlers decided they wanted buffalo. It reduced the species to less than 300. That's millions of buffalo dead. 

Yup, we definitely have the firepower to determine what dies. I suspect we could exterminate almost every species on the planet if we tried. But in doing so, we certainly don't decide what lives. Which is nothing short of reckless, dangerous, and, frankly, a pity. 

And I suspect, if we tried hard enough, we might manage to exterminate ourselves too.