Pleistocene Park? On the reintroduction of species

NewScientist.com ^ | 17 August 2005 | Kurt Kleiner

[sociotard]

Sorry if this is a repost.

Elephants and lions unleashed on North America?
18:00 17 August 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Kurt Kleiner

Elephants, lions, cheetahs and camels could one day roam the western US under a proposal to recreate North American landscapes as they existed more than 13,000 years ago, when humans first encountered them.

The plan, proposed in a commentary in Nature and co-authored by 13 ecologists and conservation biologists, would help enrich a North American ecosystem that was left almost devoid of large mammals at the end of the Pleistocene period. It would also help preserve wildlife that faces the threat of extinction in Africa and Asia.

Between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, 97 of 150 genera of large mammals disappeared from around the world. Although a warming climate played its part, the consensus is that over-hunting by humans probably had a significant role.

In North America, by about 13,000 years ago, humans were leaving evidence of big-game hunting using sophisticated stone tools. This hunting probably helped to drive many animals to extinction, including North American mammoths and mastodons, lions, cheetahs, camelops (a relative of the modern camel), horses and asses.

50-year plan
Although those animals are gone forever, related African and Asian species could serve as proxies, the authors say. They propose introducing the animals over 50 years, starting with horses, asses and camels, working up to elephants, and finally bringing in the big cats.

Eventually, the animals could roam in preserves hundreds of thousands of hectares in size. The best place to create this “Pleistocene Park” would be in the North American Great Plains, where the human population is relatively low and the grazing animals would have a ready supply of food.

But other conservationists think it is a bad idea. Chris Haney, a conservation biologist at Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, DC, US, says that substituting modern equivalents of extinct species will not be the same as restoring the ancient ecosystem. And he thinks it would detract from more pressing and “realistic” goals, such as restoring wolves, grizzlies, elk and other animals to their historic North American ranges. Even those reintroductions have faced bitter opposition from ranchers, farmers, and residents.

"I need to work on wolves, not mastodons," agrees Douglas Inkley, senior science adviser to the National Wildlife Federation in Reston, Virginia, US.

Journal reference: Nature (vol 436, p 913)

[TomGuy]

recreate North American landscapes

It would also help preserve wildlife that faces the threat of extinction in Africa and Asia

Doesn't both Asia and Afric have more land than North America? So, why not put the preserve in on one of those? [Answer: The envirwackos have no influence in Asia or Africa, and Europe is too crowded already.]

[Wonder Warthog]

"Eventually, the animals could roam in preserves hundreds of thousands of hectares in size. The best place to create this “Pleistocene Park” would be in the North American Great Plains, where the human population is relatively low and the grazing animals would have a ready supply of food."

Uh, I think those "hundreds of thousands of hectares" still belong to people, despite the fact that the "human population is relatively low".

Now we know the REAL reason behind the Supreme Court's "eminent domain" decision.

[lastchance]

Dont cha love the way nature works in harmony to benefit all God's creatures? lol

[null and void]

Still, a 100 mile wide big game corridor from San Diego to Corpus Christi has a certain appeal...

[Christopher Lincoln]

Have you noticed that anything that scientists cannot explain is said to be the doing of man, provided man was around at that time?

[Tribune7]

The best place to create this “Pleistocene Park” would be in the North American Great Plains,

I think this is an excellent idea -- although the perfect spot would be northern Long Island. Eastern Massachusetts wouldn't be bad either. Or maybe Connecticut.

[Christopher Lincoln]

They propose introducing the animals over 50 years, starting with horses, asses and camels, working up to elephants, and finally bringing in the big cats.

As far as horses and asses are concerned, they're about five centuries late. As for camels, the llama is probably closer to anything that lived in Pleistocene America than the camels of the Old World.

[SunkenCiv]

alas...

Call to restock North America’s large mammals (Lions, Tigers,Bears Alert)
NewScientist.com | 18:00 17 August 2005 | Kurt Kleiner
Posted on 08/17/2005 1:56:34 PM EDT by 11th_VA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1465229/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

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[hosepipe]

Could happen after the muzzies nuke most large american cities and blow up other malls, bridges and dams.... Unless Americans finally get busy.. Could happen..

[SunkenCiv]