The sixth extinction

THE PLANET IS IN THE MIDST OF DRASTIC BIODIVERSITY LOSS THAT SOME EXPERTS THINK MAY BE THE NEXT GREAT SPECIES DIE-OFF. HOW DID WE GET HERE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

- LESLIE ANTHONY

“It seems to me that if you wait until the frogs and toads have croaked their last to take some action, you’ve missed the point.”

—Kermit the Frog

AN ECLECTIC DINNER GROUP gathered during a symposium called Thinking Extinction at Laurentian University, in Sudbury, Ont., seven years ago. Philosophers had joined leading biologists to address approaches — from captive breeding to the ethics of reviving long-extinct species to practising medical-style conservation triage — to the growing global biodiversity crisis.

“Bringing humanities into a typically scientific discussion recognizes that all of us face questions about our role in protecting species diversity,” said Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde, co-organizer and Canada Research Chair in applied evolutionary ecology. “We hope it adds new dimensions to the conversation.”

If table talk was any evidence, it had. Renowned turtle researcher and Laurentian professor Jacqueline Litzgus was expressing frustration at a bugbear query inevitably posed by the public, industry, and media: Why should we care? “I just don’t want to answer,” she lamented. “If that’s the question when we’re talking about saving a species from extinction, we’ve already failed.”