Should We Abandon Some Species to Extinction?

Benjamin lay in Tasmania’s
Beaumaris Zoo, frozen to
death after being left outside
his enclosure on a cold
night in 1936. Benjamin was
a thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, the largest
living marsupial (pouched) carnivore
of his day. He had a body as big as a
medium-size dog, striking black stripes
against yellow-brown fur, and a stiff
kangaroo-like tail. When threatened, he
could open his jaws a whopping 80º in a
behavior called a threat-yawn.

But you’ll probably never get the
chance to see this unique creature in
real life. The same year Benjamin died
as the last captive thylacine, Tasmanian
tigers were also declared extinct in the
wild, hunted to annihilation by people
who had perceived the animals as an
unmanageable threat to their livestock.1

Not long after Benjamin, the last captive
Tasmanian tiger, died in Tasmania in 1936,
his entire kind faded to extinction.

Thylacines are just the tip of the extinction iceberg. Over the
last 400 years, we’ve lost the golden toad, passenger pigeon,
Caribbean monk seal, dodo, western black rhinoceros, Javan
tiger, and many others. Currently, several endangered species
could go extinct in the next few years, including Amur leopards
and tigers, orangutans, Sumatran and Asian elephants,
blue whales, bluefin tuna, and hawksbill turtles.

Secular environmentalists are quite concerned about disappearing
species. But how are Christians to respond to the
loss of these creatures?

God didn’t intend this dominion
to include ravaging the land, being careless with the environment,
or destroying creatures on a whim.

When God gave his image bearers the responsibility of
ruling the organisms in creation, he defined one of our purposes
on earth. With careful attention to the Hebrew text and
context as well as to the language and culture of the time,
the words of God in Genesis state that God made man in his
image and likeness. It is clear in God’s Word that image and
likeness refer to sonship with our Father and servant kingship
with creation. Servant kingship includes ruling the fish of the
sea, birds of the air, and every living creature that moves on
the ground (Genesis 1:27–28). God didn’t intend this dominion
to include ravaging the land, being careless with the environment,
or destroying creatures on a whim.

God set an example for us as servant rulers by commanding
Noah to take at least two of every air-breathing, vertebrate
animal kind on the ark. He saved these creatures so
they could multiply and refill the earth after the devastation
of the flood. When Christians live out God’s command by caring
for fading diversity, they have a chance to demonstrate
the Creator’s intent for conservation.

Why Should We Save Species?

When a species wanes or goes extinct, its ecosystem
may fall out of balance and become unstable because each
creature contributes to the overall health of an ecosystem.

When a species wanes or goes extinct, its ecosystem
may fall out of balance and become unstable because each
creature contributes to the overall health of an ecosystem.
An unhealthy ecosystem isn’t self-contained—it functions
within a larger context, inevitably affecting humans in some
way. For example, hemlock trees on the east coast of the USA
are being killed by an invasive insect known as the hemlock
woolly adelgid. In certain places in the South, skeleton
trees tell a story of mass death in large areas of the forest,
especially near streams. With their shade, these trees cooled
the streams, allowing more oxygen to be dissolved in the
water and creating optimum habitat for stream insects. More
insects resulted in healthy trout populations, fueling recreational
fishing and breathing economic life into the tourist
industry. The death of hemlock trees functions within a
larger ecosystem. We are wise to preserve diversity since species
often provide soundness to an ecosystem.

We should also preserve species for the benefits we might
derive from them. God’s design in nature inspires new technologies
(biomimicry) that make our lives safer and our products
more efficient. For example, scientists looked at whale
fin design to create a better model for airplane propellers, and
a recent study of mussel adhesion could help create a product
to clean up oil spills.

Today many prescribed medicines come from plants or other
natural products, and scientists are constantly turning to nature
for its health benefits. For example, turmeric root has anti-inflammatory
properties while evening primrose can improve
the quality of life for those suffering
from multiple sclerosis and polycystic
ovary syndrome. These are just two of
thousands of plants that researchers are
actively investigating for beneficial properties.
It’s up to us who bear God’s image
to steward the environments in which
these plant species grow.

Research also suggests that enjoying
and immersing in beautiful and diverse
environments bring emotional and spiritual
well-being by reducing anxiety,
lowering blood pressure, and calming
our minds in a fast-paced, chaotic world.

Beyond considering the practical
reasons for preserving species from
extinction, we must remember that
creation exists, in part, to declare God’s
glory and remind us to worship him.
His invisible attributes are manifested
in the physical creation (Romans 1:20).
His infinite wisdom and artistry are
also revealed in the stunning engineering,
aesthetics, and symmetry of
all life. With every extinct species, we
lose valuable insight into our heavenly
Father’s creative mind, characteristics,
and care for his creatures.

The species we see today diversified
from the original kinds God called “very
good” in Eden. However, even in the
fallen world, we do not need to justify or
market the worth of a species based on
its ecological, sociological, utilitarian,
spiritual, and aesthetic characteristics.

These creatures are intrinsically
valuable because they are his. None
are merely expendable or disposable.
Of course, we must wisely manage disease
organisms, dangerous animals, urban pests, and invasive
plants that wreak havoc on people, their livelihoods, and
other creatures. Examples of these include fungal wood rots
and defoliating predators of forest and orchard trees, invasive
pythons of the Florida everglades, and the kudzu vines inundating
the southeastern United States. However, we should
strive to avoid waging a war to extinction.

Keeping the Keystones

Keystone species are
organisms that play vital
roles in supporting and
maintaining the structure
and biodiversity of their
ecosystems. Their loss
would negatively affect
their entire ecological
community.

The International Union
for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) is the global
authority on the status
of species throughout
the world and develops
solutions to save them.

Types of Keystone Species

• Predator—controls the
  population and range of
  other animals
• Plant—provides food or
  shelter for other species
• Mutualist—interacts
  with other species in a
  vitally reciprocal way
• Engineer—creates,
  modifies, or maintains
  the landscape

Art by Malachi Studio

Sea Otter
(Enhydra lutris)
Predator Keystone

• Lives in the Pacific
  coastal waters
  of northwestern
  North America
• Sea otters hunt in
  kelp forests, eating
  sea urchins and other
  marine animals. As
  a habitat for various
  marine mammals, fish,
  and invertebrates, kelp
  forests keep biodiversity
  healthy, provide food for
  a variety of birds, and
  dissipate the erosion
  from ocean waves on
  nearby coastlines.
• Without sea otters,
  sea urchin populations
  would skyrocket and
  destroy the kelp forest,
  collapsing the rest
  of the community.
  Nearby coastlines
  would possibly erode,
  potentially affecting
  human structures and
  the tourism industry.

Art by Malachi Studio

Eastern Hemlock
(Tsuga canadensis)
Plant Keystone

• Grows in eastern
  North America
• These trees provide
  shade that cools
  surrounding streams,
  allowing more oxygen
  to be dissolved in the
  water and creating an
  optimum habitat for
  aquatic life, especially
  insects. More insects
  promote healthy trout
  populations, fueling
  recreational fishing,
  which is important for
  tourism industries.
• Without shade trees,
  water temperatures
  increase, decreasing
  dissolved oxygen and
  threatening the native
  species that thrive in
  cold water.

Art by Malachi Studio

Southern Cassowary
(Casuarias casuarias johnsonii)
Mutualist Keystone

• Lives in the rainforests,
  grasslands, and wetlands
  of northeastern
  Australia, New Guinea,
  and the Seram and Aru
  Islands of Indonesia
• Cassowaries are
  important seed
  dispersers. These birds
  consume as many as
  238 different plants,
  including some toxic
  fruits that other animals
  can’t eat. Their gentle
  digestive system allows
  the seeds to survive and
  be distributed over large
  areas, maintaining local
  biodiversity.
• Without cassowaries,
  plants would be at risk
  of local extinction. The
  absence of these plants
  would alter the diversity
  of the surrounding
  ecological structure.

Art by Malachi Studio

African Bush Elephant
(Loxodonta africana)
Engineer Keystone

• Lives in the forests,
  savannahs, and wetlands
  of sub-Saharan Africa
• Elephants push down trees
  to eat their foliage, helping
  to minimize forest fire
  outbreaks. This also increases
  the size of savannas,
  which house a diversity of
  herbivores (such as zebra and
  antelope), carnivores (such
  as lions and leopards), and
  scavengers (such as hyenas
  and vultures). Elephants also
  dig holes in dry riverbeds for
  water storage in the rainy
  season and disperse seeds of
  the baobab tree (Adansonia
  sp.), whose fruit is food for
  both animals and people.
• Without elephants,
  baobab dispersal would
  decrease and forests would
  increase, reducing the
  biodiversity of the savannas
  and potentially causing this
  vital biome to collapse.

The Problems with Conservation

Secular environmentalists are usually Darwinian evolutionists,
meaning that they value humans and animals equally
since they believe we descended from the same ancestor. By
rejecting the reality of an all-powerful God, they believe that
humans alone are in full control of the world’s existence.

As Christians, we can take a more balanced approach,
understanding that though we have a responsibility to tend
the earth, we are not the final power in charge of it. We also
understand that because of the curse, species have risen
and gone extinct throughout history. Catastrophic processes
caused some extinctions, and many others have disappeared
by our own unwise and uncaring attitudes and actions.

Still, even knowing that death is unavoidable in a fallen
world, as an ecologist, I feel a sadness when I reflect on how
much biodiversity we have lost over the centuries. We must
consider the real challenges of protecting and caring for
God’s creatures.

Environmental Triage

Conserving species costs an exorbitant amount of time
and money. One study estimated that it would take $58 billion
annually to reduce the extinction risk and maintain the
protected areas for all 26,000 endangered species.2

Despite the time and money expended to save them, many
species continue declining in numbers. For example, because
of habitat destruction, oil and gas exploration, and increased
predation, the population of Canada’s woodland caribou
continues to decrease even with millions of dollars and
countless work hours spent on their recovery.

Though most conservationists refuse to abandon any species
to extinction, a few wonder if we should let some species
disappear so that we can focus finances and energy on other
organisms that have a better chance of being saved. Some
conservationists propose triaging each species to determine
the feasibility of restoring them back to healthy populations.
Just as a medic prioritizes injuries in a mass disaster based
on severity of injury and reasonable chance of survival, so
conservation biologists could use triage to identify and focus
on threatened species with a reasonable chance of comeback.

Conservationists might also triage by considering keystone
species. More than other creatures, keystone species
have more impact on maintaining their ecosystem. For example,
the sea otter’s presence in its environment produces
a stable and healthy community for a score of other organisms.
Sea otters hunt in kelp forests, eating sea urchins and
other marine animals. Kelp forests are an important habitat
for a variety of fish and marine invertebrates that result in
not only keeping biodiversity healthy but also helping dissipate
the power of ocean waves to protect nearby coastlines.
Historically, when otters were removed through hunting, sea
urchin populations skyrocketed and destroyed the kelp forests,
causing these diverse communities to collapse.

Managing keystone species and the health of their habitats
will automatically bring positive results for many other species,
allowing us to be good stewards of time and resources.

A God of Conservation

Our rebellion against God broke our relationship with
him, with one another, and with the creation. In response
to our sin, he cursed this world. However, even in a fallen
world, God’s statements about our purpose and his creatures
have not changed. But perhaps our sometimes careless
attitude should.

I’ve heard fellow believers respond
to the issue of extinction in unsettling
ways: “Maybe it’s just God’s will for
these species to go extinct. After all,
animals aren’t as valuable as humans
because they aren’t made in God’s
image,” and “God’s going to destroy the
planet when he recreates the new heavens
and earth anyway,” and “Christians
need to reach souls and not hug trees
with leftist environmental wackos.” But
the dismissive spirit of these responses
seems counter to what we know about
the Creator’s redemptive plans.

The triune God spared no effort to
restore the relationship with his image
bearers. In fact, the Creator became
flesh and dwelt among his creation
when God the Son, Jesus, walked the
earth, taking the punishment for our
sin and offering those who believe in
him a new beginning with God.

The Holy Spirit indwells believers,
enabling us to mirror God’s perspective
even in the area of caring for and conserving
species. In his book Pollution
and the Death of Man, Francis Schaeffer
put it this way: “If I love the Lover, I love
what the Lover has made.” The more
we care about the things that matter to
Jesus, the more we will be involved in
their care.
What if we more intentionally trained
our children to enjoy creation and to be
lifelong learners of our world and its
creatures?

What if Christians entered
fields such as biology and environmental
sciences to work in conservation?
What if we recognize our identity as
sons and daughters of the King and
exercise our ordained servant dominion
over creation? Our concern for creatures
on the brink of extinction could serve as
a way to tell unbelieving environmental
biologists the good news of our Creator
and Savior who gave himself to snatch
us from the brink of eternal death.

SourceThis article originally appeared on answersingenesis.org

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