“Presumed Extinct” means exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. So, how do we decide if a species is really extinct? The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) manages the global Red List and provides the most definitive criteria: “Extinct” means there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. If the species, in fact, still survives, that could have tragic consequences that hasten the species’ eventual demise, such as no longer protecting its critical habitat. By analogy, if a species is mistakenly declared extinct, conservationists may give up on it. Romeo mistakenly thought the unconscious Juliet was dead and abandoned hope, with tragic consequences. Shakespeare provided us with the cautionary tale of Romeo and Juliet. Aldo Leopold, “Scarcity Values in Conservation” (1946) Appreciation may have been enhanced by the intervening gains in education, or we may be incapable of appreciating anything until it has grown scarce.” “Nostalgia for the good old days when everything was abundant is almost universal among conservationists…We lament the lost thunder of galloping buffalo, the sky-darkening clouds of pigeons and waterfowl, the flowing sea of the prairies, the velvet silence of the virgin woods…There are two possible explanations. Our Campaign to Write the Shack’s Next Chapters Together.Yes! I want to be in the Leopold Family!. Aldo & Estella Leopold Writing Residency.Experience the Great Midwest Crane Fest.
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