Wilson’s Law – How Important Is It That We Conserve Biodiversity?

This is a short article from the Dot Earth section of the New York Times, reporting a recent idea of probably the greatest living biologist, Edward O. Wilson.

It hinges on the difference between our (increasingly energetic) efforts to save the systems that obviously support human civilization (energy, water, clean air, etc.) and our (less energetic) efforts to conserve the vast webs of species that have no obvious human utility yet together provide the basis for planetary life. This is a profoundly important distinction.

Original article: Andrew Revkin. The New York Times. 11 July 2008. Read more…