Should we have the last say on what lives and what dies or what to save and what not to save
NOBODY should have that right. Seriously
*gets ready for facepalm*
And I believe every species is equal to the other. Yes I do agree that some species (the animals most likely to die out first) need more help than those whose populations are stable and healthly. But the thing is, the majority of the animals close to/going extinct are really only in that situation because of us humans in the first place. Back in the day species went extinct for natural reasons. Unable to adapt to their changing environment, competition for food against rising predators, natural disasters, shifting landmass, rising oceans etc etc.
But humans are like a disease when it comes to the natural world.
Now don't get me wrong, we humans are fantastic and a progression of species. Able to adapt easily to environments, sentiant thought, technology, computers, space probes, jaffa cakes but basically we exploit our natural resources and it's beauty.
So what have we established? The majority of extinctions nowadays are because of us.
Righto, where are we, yes! As a species that has destoryed as much of the planet as we have gained from it, I think it is our duty to repair what we can, replant the rainforest, cool the planet down, and of course, rebuilding the species we haven't managed to kill yet.
Which species do I are more important to this planet? Well the simple answer is all of them. The world is made of...uhm.....loads of ecosystems bunched into one big one. Each species of animal and planet have their own place. I remember watching on the BBC Life series that the most important species on this planet are actually the smallest like invertabrates and amphibians. Unsure specifically why, but I'll be sure to go back and find out, if it was indeed on Life I saw it or some other series or book.
Which ten are doing the most damage? Well there only really is one? Us humans for the reasons explained above.
Although now that you mention it I suppose certain species ARE destroying other ecosystems where they don't belong. For example, in Northern Ireland there is a threat of the Muntjac deer upturning the ecosystem by eating shrubs and bits of woodland that are supposed to be eaten. Such as the native bluebell. Another example happened on the island of Mauritius about the 17th century. Humans arrived, where previously they had not been, bringing with them alien species such as cats, dogs, pigs and even macaques. Humans hunted the dodo, a flightless pigeon which had no fear of humans so we took advantage of this (despite records saying the meat tasted bad) and hunted them. But the bigger damage was actually the alien species, which raided the dodo nests and the dogs probably chased and hunted the dodos aswell. And we all know what happened to them? Went the way of the - well. you know.
So any species that doesn't belong to the ecosystem it finds itself in is inadvertedly doing damage. The only other one is humans. WE know what damage we are doing. Are we stopping? Trying, but thats not good enough.
Sorry about this little rant. If it seems any way off the topic (which I'm sure it is) then sorry. I tend to explain one thing that relates to the current subject, then explain something about that, etc etc.
