Page 34 - Fourways Gardens April 2021

Nature

the PoweR of one

B y Ja M es c larke, Main pho t ogr aph B y Mary Bro adley

It’s not a question of saving wildlife species from oblivion – the basic task is saving the ecosystems on which their survival has forever depended.

he future of nature conservation, survey of two centuries of conservation understand that human-induced
globally, is at a critical stage, efforts beginning with Carl Linnaeus in extinction meant the abrupt end of an
but I believe there is now more the 1700s, who introduced a sense of irreplaceable, once-living creature or
Thope than there has been since order in discussing the natural world. plant. The dodo, discovered in Mauritius
worldwide extinctions began accelerating in the 16th century, was wiped out by
200 years ago. Linnaeus formalised a system of sailors in the 17th century.
classifying and naming each organism –
COVID-19 has brought thinking people to animal and vegetable – by giving each Because of what was often totally
their senses. Across our stricken planet, a name for its genus and its species. thoughtless and ill-considered human
now that even humanity perceives Humans became Homo sapiens (Homo = activities, countless thousands of
an assault upon its own species, we man, sapiens = wise).
are suddenly aware of a dire need to
rearrange our values regarding the future He used (mostly) Latin so the world’s
of wildlife. various language groups could all use
one language for scientifically labelling
On cue, a book has just been published in organisms. The educated world could
New York by a widely acclaimed 47 year- now understand the uniqueness of each
old American science writer, Michelle organism. The dodo, that weird giant
Nijhuis. Her book is called Beloved Beasts. pigeon, was assigned the name Raphus
cucullatus and I mention it to illustrate a
Nijhuis (she likes her name to be point.
pronounced to rhyme with ‘my house’)
is a magazine journalist covering the The public was becoming aware of
fields of nature conservation and climate the uniqueness of every kind of living
change. Her book provides an historical organism and, also, now began to The dodo

Fourways Gardens • 32 • April 2021