Welcome to Gaia! ::

We do have an obligation to take responsibility for the damage we've done to their habitat. It isn't that the pandas have failed to evolve. The effect we've had occurred too fast for them to adapt to it. Nor is it that they're unfit to be protected by us, having difficult reproduction. They have evolved along with their environment and the role they have in it is key. As Hugel pointed out, they help control the fast-growing bamboo. If they die out, the bamboo will either spread and choke out other plants or we will have to control it ourselves.

And that is only the most visible effect their extinction could have. What about insects that populate around them? What happens when microorganisms that any species carries vanish along with their hosts? How do you track the degree of loss when you can't observe it all?

Since the problem is overall lack of funds, here's an idea. We and a few people we know each put away a penny a day. After a year, you collect it all and donate it to EarthShare. How many of us just don't donate because we don't think the amount we can afford will make a difference? Imagine how fast $3.65 a year would add up if everyone who could spend a penny a day, did?

I thought I'd share my special experience today, it somewhat relates to this discussion.

I was talking to a classmate of mine, about Global warming and events that have been related or piggy backing on global warming and how they've increased the max prediction from 6 degrees to 9 degrees if all goes to hell. Then our conversation switched to thermal expansion of water blah blah and how storms are loving the increase of temp and moisture and coastal areas in today's words that are being affected and the islands that are going under water are showing the vulnerable parts of our world thanks to the rapidly changing environment and the lost of habitat blah blah blah. And how people complain that it would be too expensive to change our living style or energy out put because 1% can really hurt our economy, but they don't realize places that are strong farmland may be deserted thanks to either cooling or warming dramatically then the economy will have to import food etc, and we think we have problems with immigration, where are the refugees from the coastal and drowned islands going to go? Our country! biggrin Then that's really going to mess with our economy.

Someone joins into the conversation and says : "Why do you care so much about plants and the animals? Don't you think scientists should care more about humans? People? Why is everyone always talking about habitat lost and polar bears dying and stuff and being green and deforestation?"

I, for one, was speechless, my friend face palmed.
I responded, "....Do you know that plants make the basis of the food chain?"

The person responded, "I'm fine eating chicken and cows."
Lets just say that my friend started cracking up, and I was just stupefied. "Cows eat grass. Chickens eat seeds. And that guy is eating a mango."

their response. "Yea so what? Feed and deal with humans first."

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I know there is a large discussion these days that will carry over for years on end that Humans are not "animals" but we are "mammals" And how our intellect, spirit etc put us on a different level than other animals, but...really...this person was a political science/history major, they're damn smart...but what came out of their mouth was just...outrageous. ((I'm not going to go any deeper about our discussion about either environment or human first talk, because it will lead to something big and messy))

And now a quote from a very active Plant ecologist professor:

"the problem is human's brains. If they were smaller we wouldn't have most of the problems on the world thanks to human activity. If they were bigger we would be able to figure out what the hell was wrong with our activities and figure out how fix it and make changes to our lives."

Some peoples' inability to see what is right in front of them just baffles me to no end.

I think we should let nature do what it does.
And if that had been the case, pandas would now be extinct.
It's a sad truth, but I will stick by my beliefs regardless.

if an animal is in danger of extinction because on an evolutionary dead end (like the giraffe) my opinion is let it die out in the wild, but keep a captive population in zoos and parks to allow research and studies and preservation for knowledge's sake. now if an animal is in danger of going extinct because of human interference, then i feel we have a duty to preserve the wild population.

How could you even say that?!?!?!
These beautiful creatures need to be saved, conserved and protected!
How will you be able to handle the awkward situation when your children and your grandchildren ask why there is no pandas left??
Its your fault, thats why, for just allowing it to happen...how shameful! ¬¬

Us humans have no say in anything that has to do with Mother Nature.. no animal deserves to be extinct. they were here before us and they're all do there part for the world and all we do is destroy it..