De-extinction plans to bring back animals from the dead - some of which, we were the originally cause of their extinctions. Yes, lets forget about the millions of species that are close to extinction and focus on the ones already gone. The proponents of de-extinction believe that by bringing back certain species, for example, the passenger pigeon can help solve the current crisis the world is facing with other nearly extinct species - both animal and plants.
But the question becomes is it a good idea? In my opinion, which is the same as the articles, is that it is not a good idea. While the thought is there, reintroducing these species into their natural habitat just will not happen. Mostly because their natural habitat is not there anymore. Passenger pigeon went extinct around a century ago, what they use to call home has changed dramatically. The proponents of de-extinction have run into a problem before they have even begun - there simply is no place to put the revived species. The land changed without them and there is no place for them to be successful.
Even the thought of de-extinction working is harmful. As stated before, de-extinction takes away from the focus of species that are endangered and not gone yet. There is something that could still be done to save them but that would require a change, and we do not like to change if it does not help us in some way. The new thought process will be "don't worry about it now, we can revive it later."
While the thought of having a scenario similar to Jurassic Park play out is intriguing (I would love to see some real life dinasours), to much has changed. Focus should be directed towards conservation and protecting what we can currently save.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130312--deextinction-conservation-animals-science-extinction-biodiversity-habitat-environment/
I totally agree with this. As much as I love the movie Jurassic Park and think it's a cool idea, it's not realistic. We need to look at the species currently in trouble rather than bringing some back from the dead. The species still around are the ones that need our help and protection.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I think that the science behind being able to reanimate these species is super cool and impressive. And I think that IF USED APPROPRIATELY this technology could prove beneficial. There are some species of animals that should still exist I think, because they were a cornerstone of their environment. Just last week a subspecies of the African Black Rhino was declared extinct and this extinction is solely because of poaching. If these animals were left to their own accord they'd still be thriving and I think that's what makes the difference. If the ecosystem has adapted to the extinct animals absence, then perhaps reintroducing them would act like an invasive species, but if they are a recent extinction... I think it's cool.
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