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by In a recent article in the NY Times, the effects of the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem were examined. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the project.
The reintroduction, which began in 1995, has been widely scrutinized over the years. Early protests from ranchers and concerned citizens posed challenges to the project. Ultimately, compromises were reached and the project was initiated.
The results of the reintroduction of an apex predator into the ecosystem have been of great interest to ecologists and wildlife managers. While many of the results cited in the article may seem elementary to some, they are anything but insignificant. It is a reminder that an ecosystem is a dynamic system that fluctuates around a myriad of parameters. It is impressive to see how a wolf population can affect vegetation in an ecosystem as well as prey species.
In a world that is becoming increasingly egocentric, it is refreshing to be reminded that each plays a vital role and that the sum of the whole is dependent upon the many.
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Imagine that by romanizzo :: NR6 :: Show
Its an ecosystem. It has to have all its parts to function properly. We (humans) killed off one of the parts, and that allowed the overpopulation of elk. Now that the part that limits the elk herd has come back, the ecosystem works better again. Imagine that. Who cares that the elk herd is down from 19,000 to 11,000? Elk are far from endangered, and are a hardy species. The only thing that I would be concerned with is an unchecked growth of the wolf population (although a virus seems to have it in control.) But honestly, can anybody be surprised by these results?
I am, incidentally, not an environmentalist, I am a conservationist.