We have heard endless lamentation over the countless animals going extinct. Indeed, it is distressing. When we look at the numbers, things don’t seem so bleak.
In 2021, twenty three animals were added to the “extinct” category. The shocking truth is that most of these animals disappeared decades ago. They are just being cleaned off the slate, like an accountant writing off bad debt.
The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was last seen in 1944. The entire nuclear race and space age took place in that time. Yet our feathered friend isn’t alone, most animals have been gone for more than four decades.
Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis (a plant in the mint family native to Hawaii) hasn’t been seen since 1914. So as the guns of the first world war were beginning to fire, this plant last grew. Its been over a century yet we are just updating this now?
Even more egregious, the Kauai nukupuu, a species of Honeycreeper bird has been missing since 1899. We have creatures from the 19th century making headlines for not existing!
Both of the last two species were native to Hawaii. Those islands are beautiful, but the vivacious jungle canopy is not distracting enough to hide two such species for over a century. Nor is the state large enough to hide multiple populations for long. We are looking at over a century of institutional negligence.
It does make for an impactful headline. All those species going extinct will shock the average reader. Yet the significance is lost when these creatures expired before most of the planet were in a position to do anything about it. Its doom porn at best, and at worst, encourages a defeatist attitude.
People respond to positive headlines. So instead of species lost generations ago, lets look at the Panda which was recently removed from the endangered list. The Grey Wolf and Rhinoceros join it in recovery. Humans can make a positive difference, and that is what we need in our daily headlines.
We need to take care of the environment, not to sew dissent and mistrust. Yes, we are in an environmental crisis, no sane person would deny that. To make people aware we need accurate information. Lets get the statistics balanced so we can address real problems and not go chasing after century old mysteries!
jayrsworld 