Knowing when the time has come

In this editorial, All is Silent Down at the Pond, Professor Tim Halliday argues that it is simply impossible to save all species from extinction. As evidence, he points to cases where the habitats were carefully preserved by conservationists, but the species died out anyway. Clearly, the system is more complicated than humans can control.

He states bluntly:

It is clear that the mainstay of conservation, the protection of habitat, is no longer sufficient to ensure the survival of many species. There is a widespread culture of denial about this situation, not least among conservationists, who must take a lead in alerting humanity to the current extinction crisis.

The reality is that many thousands of species will become extinct in the near future; so perhaps it is time to face this reality and to replace the "conservation paradigm" with the "extinction paradigm".

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It is the responsibility of biologists, I suggest, to admit that the conventional view of conservation - that we can and should preserve at-risk organisms - is simply untenable. What we can and must do is document the decline and disappearance of species that cannot be saved, so that at least some kind of record of them will be preserved.

It's provocative, and worth considering. All things die, including each of us and the species we represent. Of course, opponents will always (legitimately) point out that the assurance of my death does not mean I give up trying to live a healthy and happy life, or that I don't take steps to get medical care for illnesses or injuries (unless I am a Christian Scientist).

But let's look beyond these uninteresting top-level arguments. Halliday is suggesting something like hospice care for endangered species. Stop trying to save them and just let them die peacefully, caring for them and making memories of them-- just as we might with an elderly family member for whom medical treatment is no longer helpful.

This can actually be a very compassionate and wonderful action. When we get out of the mode that says illness is the enemy, we can appreciate the person in new ways, as well as deepen our connection to our own life. We can use death as a way to wake up. This does not happen when we are lost in scurrying around trying to prevent death.

Done in the right way, Halliday's idea could be extremely fruitful. We might find, paradoxically, that by observing and really understanding the loss of a few species, we become much more inspired to respect those that remain. More inspired than we were when we saw loss as tragedy.