Big game 'could roam US plains'

[emad]

If a group of US researchers have their way, lions, cheetahs, elephants and camels could soon roam parts of North America, Nature magazine reports.

The plan, which is called Pleistocene re-wilding, is intended to be a proactive approach to conservation.

The initiative would help endangered African animals while creating jobs, the Cornell University scientists say.

Evidence also suggests, they claim, that "megafauna" can help maintain ecosystems and boost biodiversity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4160560.stm

[tk2kewl]

1. I read this in Newsday this morning...

I am not sure what to make of it.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-wild-america,0,3976332.story

[demnan]

2. Cool!

can we feed them freepers?

[Nihil]

12. Psst!

Tell them that the "immigrant wildlife" is heathen and need to be
converted - sorry, "shown the light" - you know, just like Daniel ...

It's bound to work for a few of them anyway and every little helps!
:evilgrin:

[havocmom]

3. The people who own much of the land and the critters already here might

object to turning the place into a wildlife preserve that would ultimately end up as a pretend hunting experience for rich guys too
lazy or scared to do anything real.

This is a re-think on the 'Buffalo Commons' plan that has been trying to make friends and influence people. Just because there are not people stacked on top of on another and you can go many miles without eyesore strip malls marring the view does not make this vacant land.

:eyes:

[kestrel91316]

4. I want some of what these folks have been smoking.

[phantom power]

5. This plan has "unintended consequences" stamped all over it

[InternalDialogue]

6. I heard the NPR inteview with the author of the Nature article

yesterday, and a big emphasis that interview gave was that the megafauna are needed because woody plants (creosote, mesquite) are overtaking the grasslands, and the current "small" herbivores don't eat the woody plants and are eradicating what grassy plants are left. (The author lives in Arizona.)

So, OK, makes sense -- trying to find a way to balance an ecology being changed by a surge of dominating plants of one kind. But I'm starting to get leery because it sounds like it's starting to get into the "nature's not as we like it, we need to change nature" thing.

And that's where the big "ah" was. Josh Donlan, the author says, "Well, of course there's the potential for some unexpected ecological consequences." Yeah, like upsetting the ecology of every animal who already lives in our wilderness and on our ranchlands.

If we've learned any lessons, we should know that you can force human will on an ecology about as successfully as you can, oh, force democracy on another people.

It all sounds too Jurassic Park to me, and as Ian Malcolm said in that book, "Nature finds a way."

[Boomer]

7. Lions and cheetahs?

Folks, you might want to keep your small pets inside from now on. Your large pets, too, come to think of it.

And any small children.

[Vogon_Glory]

8. A Good Idea For Disused Ranch Land

I confess that I have difficulty opposing this idea. It wounds like a swell idea for disused ranch country where cattlemen or sheep-raisers can't make a buck.

[phantom power]

11. I happen to know about an unused ranch in Crawford, TX...

[Vogon_Glory]

9. I'd Prefer To See These Species Stay In Africa--BUT

Whatever the positive economic benefits for having these species placed on reserves in North America, I would really prefer that they stay in Africa.

Unfortunately, in Africa these creatures are facing stresses on their habitat caused by poachers and by increasing human populations.

Also, these animals face the negative consequences of the often arbitrary, capricious, and politically-driven actions of strongmen like Robert Mugabe who not only shut down a lot of his country's most productive farmland, but also closed down several privately-owned game reserves as well.

[NickB79]

10. Very similar species did roam N. America until only 10,000 yrs ago

Only with the actions of human hunters, and to a lesser degree, climate change, did they go extinct. Its not like the present flora and fauna species never evolved in their presence before. My question is, have the present-day ecosystems evolved enough in 10,000 yrs to make this restocking more of an invasive species introduction, or would they just absorb them like they did 10,000 yrs ago with minimal ecosystem disruption?

[PaulaFarrell]

13. We already have our own 'megafauna'

bison, mountain lion, wolves, bears. Introducing other species won't in any way maintain our own environment or ecosystems. It can only alter our own systems in ways we can't even predict. Sounds like another 'fix' that avoids working on the real problems that exist in Africa as regards conservation. And African conservationists don't seem particularly impressed either...

http://www.terradaily.com/news/life-05zzzx.html