“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.”
This story is from the Best of Canadian Geographic 2020 edition of Canadian Geographic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Best of Canadian Geographic 2020 edition of Canadian Geographic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ANIMAL XING
THIS PAST SUMMER AN AMBITIOUS WILDLIFE UNDER/OVERPASS SYSTEM BROKE GROUND IN B.C. ON A DEADLY STRETCH OF HIGHWAY JUST WEST OF THE ALBERTA BORDER. HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED.
Unearthing a giant
Almost 30 years ago, paleontologist Elizabeth “Betsy” Nicholls made a discovery of colossal proportions
WE DID THIS
AS THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING BECOME INCREASINGLY EVIDENT, THE CONNECTIONS TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS ARE HARD TO IGNORE. CAN THIS FALL’S TWO KEY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES POINT US TO A NATURE-POSITIVE FUTURE?
WILD THINGS
WILD CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC PRESENTS THE WINNERS OF ITS ANNUAL CANADIAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION
INTO THE ARCTIC
CANADIAN PAINTER AND FILMMAKER CORY TRÉPANIER EXPLORES THE SUBLIME AND RAPIDLY CHANGING CANADIAN ARCTIC
Under the ice
Until the last decade, we knew little about what lay beneath the Arctic ice. Now scientists and explorers are shedding light on this vanishing world.
Beyond the flicker of the firelight
AN EXPLORER UNRAVELS THE STORY OF AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY HAUNTING IN THE ISOLATED FOOTHILLS OF LABRADOR’S MEALY MOUNTAINS
YOUR SOCIETY
FEATURED FELLOW: RICHARD WIESE
Smother nature
IN BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA, AS IN PROTECTED AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MANAGERS ARE STRUGGLING TO BALANCE THE DESIRE TO EXPERIENCE WILDERNESS WITH AN IMPERATIVE TO CONSERVE IT
FRESH FROM THE CITY
ALREADY GAINING STEAM BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, INTEREST IN URBAN FARMING — AND HUNGER FOR HYPER-LOCAL FOOD — HAS SOARED. A LOOK AT THREE CANADIAN TAKES ON THE URBAN FARMING PHENOMENON.