Reading Comments for Science of Sustainability Week 2 ~ Natural Systems I: Ecosystems & Ecological Efficacy

When reading "Ecosystem Services: Benefits Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems," I found it intriguing and aggravating that this was put out in 1997 and that it was still basically ignored by the public at large. I also find it daunting how the statistics conveyed in the reading are now exponentially more extreme. For instance, I am reading another source currently outside of class called Bottomfeeder, by Taras Grescoe, which follows the sustainability of seafood and very bluntly relays the statistics of fishery destruction and ecosystem demise, whose statistics dwarf those in this week's readings. I would like to read this selection again written with current statistics. I find it disturbing that despite this information being available to the public and government (both local and international), no precise steps have been taken to slow the roll through ecosystems.

I also find the following statement to be fairly devastating to the current human mode of dominance: "Ecosystem services operate on such a grand scale and in such intricate and little-explored ways that most could not be replaces by technology" (1). I would genuinely like to know how scientifically possible it is to utilize technology to the best of our ability for two reasons. Despite my personal perception that ecosystems function better on their own than humans could ever manufacture them, it is clearly not a mainstream view or care. Therefore, other concessions such as biomimicry have to be explored. Also, the rate of human sprawl is significantly more obtrusive than the speed at which ecosystems can rebound and thrive again. We have conjecture in the style of Alan Weisman's The World Without Us, but I would like to know if there is a solid target at how to best fix things to a working order that will become sustainable while humans are still impacting the system.

One of the things I find so inherently overwhelming in the scientific study of sustainability if the sheer amount of symbiotic relationships in the natural world. This is clearly illustrated in "Lessons From the Wolf." Aside from personal anger that a species of any animal could be hunted or driven out of existence in any part of the world for whatever reason of hubris, the way they can be reintroduced and see so many ripple effects happen from that one species coming back in phenomenal. It does seem like an obvious progression, but to have scientific proof of the chain of life impacting an area's flora and fauna is very encouraging information.

I would like to hear more about the steps in deciding to repopulate animals in order to return ecosystem structure. Is this something that is unique largely to areas untouched by humans or can it be initiated in smaller areas with different species of flora and fauna? Also, who decides that these are things, which should be done and followed through upon?