(Advanced) Rewilding

Lead in

1. Have you seen the film Jurassic Park? What's the message of that film?


2. If reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park helped regenerate the ecology, why not do this on a much larger scale with other large predators?


3. Would you be comfortable with wild lions, bears, wolves and even mammoths living in the national parks in your country?

4. Is our environment too safe?







George Monbiot imagines a wilder world in which humans work to restore the complex, lost natural food chains that once surrounded us.

Pre-learn vocab

24 terms

Watch:

Rewilding

1. Why was Monbiot “Ecologically bored”?

2. What has been a dominant aim of industrialized societies?

3. What does Monbiot say about the idea of “authenticity”?

4. What was the “unfamiliar word” that changed Monbiot’s outlook?

5. What are the two definitions of the word which fascinate Monbiot?

The first:

The second:

6. What are “trophic cascades”?

7. Why does the example of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone illustrate about ecosystems?

8. What is the “Gaya Hypothesis”?

9. What are “Megafaunas”?

10. Why does Monbiot mention Trafalgar Square?

11. In what sense can we see the “shadows” of Elephants in places like England?

12. Why do some plants seem “over-engineered”?

13. What is Paleoecology

14. What does Monbiot mean when he says “silent spring” and “raucous summer”?

Discuss

1. Why not reintroduce some of our lost megafauna?

2. Why shouldn’t all of us have a Serengeti on our doorsteps?

Discuss these responses

Bernhard Hofmann - 2 years ago

“I really like the sentiment. Habitat is the one thing we need to give back to nature. But I would be hesitant to introduce species because they appeal to us. Remember what happened in Australia with rabbits. I'm not saying Rhino would do the same, I'm saying we humans are terrible at pretending like we can do natural selection.”

Q: Have there been any disasters with introduced or reintroduced species in your country?

PairInstabilityType - 1 year ago

“How would we convince our politicians to consider something like rewilding, let alone go through with it? It would entail setting aside large tracts of land, which then become economically unproductive. Farmers would have to find somewhere else to graze their livestock, which would impact on the prices of milk and meat; the reintroduction of carnivorous predators would pose a safety risk, both to livestock, and to people. The initial costs of large-scale rewilding projects are likely to be substantial; there is no obvious financial payoff for doing this. Plus, most people will see it as 'crazy green nonsense'.”

Q: Is it important to have as much land as possible being economically productive? Is it true that wildlife parks are unproductive? 

Aaron Matheson - 2 years ago

"He asks "Why not reintroduce species” & "Let nature decide”? 

Nature already decided - they didn’t survive! Let’s not play god with things we partially understand, any changes to ecosystems can have unforeseen circumstances & it doesn’t always end well (Cane toads in Australia). We should focus on the many endangered species we can still save: Polar Bears, Rhino, Tuna, Whales, Pandas etc."

Q: Do you agree?