Animals and plants
Sean Barry (sjbarry@ucdavis.edu)
Thu, 7 Mar 1996 13:10:19 -0800 (PST)
My citation of endangered and extinct animals as a corollary of threatened
plants was challenged, which is OK by me. Guido says that they're not
comparable in discussions of conservation strategies, and I agree, to the
extent that plants are much easier to exterminate--they can't run and
hide, and if habitat destruction goes hand in hand with collection,
neither can they reseed. I suppose there is a difference in that many
more plant species are in private ownership and culture than are animals
(and plants as a phylum are basically more amenable to culture), but as
has been discussed repeatedly in this and other groups, culture in the
hands of private individuals generally has nothing to do with authentic
conservation.
Sean Barry