We are part of the natural world, but we as a species are unique in that we have the ability to be aware of how we fit into things. We can intervene. That may be our blessing and our curse – to live with the duality that we are somehow both natural and unnatural.
I will admit my human interest – I’d be happier knowing I lived in a country where beavers swam in the rivers and far north, a few lynx and wolves padded through the recovering woods of the highlands. I’d like the crayfish infestations to be controlled, and I’d like to see species other than green parakeets flocking over my street.
Some mistakes of the past can be put right; the effects of invasive species can be negated, and long-absent species that were once part of Britain’s natural world can be reintroduced. I don’t advocate causing human suffering for the sake of giving nature a leg-up back to where it may once have been; but I do believe there is a way to mediate between the needs of those with competing interests for the land, to instil what’s left of nature with a bit more diversity, and the knock-on effect from that, excitement.
Then it’s a case of seeing what happens when we allow this ambiguity in.
And perhaps I’ll just have to learn to live with the parakeets.
via Parakeets and Purity | The Learned Pig.
How adaptable is nature and should we think we can allow nature to fix or heal from our decisions? I think the idea that endangered species should be left to fade is valid, but not completely. It depends on whether the danger is natural, or man-made. We should not re-create the planet to suit ourselves and expect nature to cater to our needs alone. Nature may make changes, adapt and struggle but we should be part of that – not set ourselves above it.
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