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Niles Eldridge, an expert on extinctions.
© AMNH |
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“Until about 10,000 years ago, humans still had a relationship to their local ecosystem that was typical of other living things,” writes Eldredge, but the development of agriculture shifted the balance. Increased food production made it possible for populations to increase and to settle in fixed locations, but these developments have also resulted in severe environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. The current mass extinction is occurring at an accelerated and unprecedented rate: three species are lost each hour, 20,000 every year. Understanding the mechanisms which underlie extinction may play an important part in preserving the Earth’s remaining biodiversity.
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