E. O. Wilson on Saving Biodiversity and the Half-Earth
As touched on in our last essay, Snakes on the Brain #2, conservation is a difficult business. Even discussing how to stem the tide of biodiversity loss seems at times problematic; we know that habitat loss is the greatest cause of species loss, but how to stop it, and how much do we need to save?
Luckily for humanity has the likes of E. O. Wilson, Pulitzer winning professor emeritus at Harvary and one of the great biologists of our time. In his new book Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, Wilson argues that we need to set aside 50% of the Earth’s surface to conserve nearly 90% of what remains of Earth’s biodiversity. While this sounds impossible, Wilson suggests that this will in fact be much simpler than we think, and won’t displace people or create restrictive boundaries for communities.
Sound impossible? Check out the NY Times piece by Wilson and the accompanying interview through the links below. Also, go read some E. O. Wilsons books, but only if you enjoy engaging, informative, worthwhile writing from one of the best in the business.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/science/e-o-wilson-half-earth-biodiversity.html
Ciao,
Janne
www.snakeoutbrisbane.com.au
Your SnakeOut Crew.
