Earth is teeming with life, but for how long?
If diversity is the spice of life, then the future tastes bland
Thanks for reading another Friday story from Science-Fiction-Create. December is a month for giving. Please, if you have the means, support honest charities - their work ensures diversity, in all its forms. ~JRC
I live for diversity. New ideas, new sights, and new experiences all make life livable. It's one main reason I love science fiction. Humans have an uncanny ability to dream up strange other-world beings. Equally enthralling to me: dinosaurs. These prehistoric beasts of all shapes and sizes rival anything sci-fi writers and artists can create.
What I wouldn't give for an encounter with either. Alas, sci-fi aliens aren’t real. And non-avian dinosaurs died out in a mass extinction event - 66 million years ago.
The thing is, we need not look to fantasy, or the deep past, to see amazing lifeforms. At last count, we've identified over 1.6 million species on this planet. And that's only the known ones. Estimates of 8 million or more kinds of life could exist here. Wonderous beings like the winged deep-sea octopus, an underground Australian orchid, and the hairy jungle rhino are all very real.
Haven't seen nor heard of these? You're not alone; much of Earth's diversity is unknown to many. But consider it an opportunity – no flight of fancy or time machine required. Yes, our home planet is a treasure trove of oddities for the viewing.
Unfortunately, some of the most charismatic and bizarre species are blinking out. Extinction again plagues planet Earth, just as it did at the end of the dinosaurs. And as they say, extinction is forever. No amount of sci-fi fantasizing or paleontological reconstructing will fill the void.
I'm not going to get preachy here – I did a lifetime’s worth of that in my former conservationist role. Suffice it to say - there are myriad reasons why you should care about extinction. And woe to those who come after us unless we do something.
Imagine the loss for a moment.
Take, for example, that hairy rhino I mentioned. It's the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), native to the dwindling jungles of Sumatra and Borneo. This woolly beast is straight out of a Hollywood creature-feature; it looks more like a Ray Harryhausen creation than a living being.
Seeing one in real life is like witnessing Bigfoot emerge from the forest. But you likely haven't seen either (Bigfoot or a Sumatran rhino). And odds are - I hate to share - you never will.
When I first learned of this elusive rhino back in the nineties, there were about 400. Fewer than 100 now remain (and by some estimates, it’s worse). There are none any longer in western zoos. And the remaining living ones are heavily guarded and out of public sight. Despite last-ditch efforts to save them, Sumatran rhinos will be gone in a decade unless a miracle (by which, I mean a scientific breakthrough) happens.
Yes, extinction is real loss. And the more that takes place, the less diverse our lives will be.
Okay, maybe I am preaching a bit.
But what to do?
Despite once being considered an "expert" in conservation, I can’t say for sure what you or anyone else should do. I do believe that something is far better than nothing, if only out of principle. “Do the right thing, and let go of the result,” Buddhists proclaim.
One thing I feel I can affect is deforestation. It’s a main threat to life on Earth, including the Sumatran rhino. So as a maker now, I opt for sustainable materials - including wood - whenever possible. And as a scientist, I understand why deforestation is a leading cause of climate change, which is screwing things up for us all. So making good choices in the raw materials I consume can help with many things.
I also support those engaged in conservation. A dedicated few trudge on in the face of overwhelming odds, working to save life. They need our help. But who to support? Not all “conservation” organizations do equally well, after all. Again, I can’t say for sure what you should do, or who you should invest in. But I know from experience that direct conservation efforts are often best.
Whatever you do, take notice. Extinction is happening all around us. And the quality of our future is at stake. Unless we care, a bland world it will be.
That's it. A small treatise on Earth’s living things - and why I care.
I care about you too. Thanks for being here.
Until next time. Science. Fiction. Create [a better world].
JRC
A great topic which can seem overwhelming. Have you watched David Attenborough’s new documentary...his life’s testimony...called “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” (on Netflix). If his revelations of our planet’s predicament, and his optimism for the solutions resonate deeply with you as they did me, I would ask you and your readers to please consider recommending it to your families, friends and colleagues. It’s a wonderful perspective to consider during this most unusual of holiday seasons...and an action which can help create the kind of collective understanding our society needs to successfully protect Earth’s biodiversity.
P.S. The Sumatran Rhino is the closest living relative to the extinct Woolly Rhino our ancestors cavorted with thousands of years ago. What a tragic loss this will be. We must find a way to save it...even if only banking cells from enough living individuals now in the hope of future resurrection. There are probably less than 20 left on Earth.
Thank you.