A couple of interesting studies came out this week. If any of you have read Wildlife in the Balance you may recall me talking about the number of whales in the world’s oceans in the past. I mentioned, in particular, the impact of species like Blue Whale and Sperm Whale on fisheries and climate. The return of the great whales is something that isn’t talked about that much.
Return of the great whales
In Nature Communications a study titled ‘The global biomass of mammals since 1850’ was recently published. It reiterates something we already know. That wild mammal biomassThe weight of living organisms. Biomass can be measured in relation to the amount of carbon, the dry weight (with all moisture removed) or living weight. In general it can be used to describe the volume of energy that is contained inside systems, as the size of animals relates to their metabolism and therefore, how much energy they contain and More has declined and been replaced with human and livestock biomass. In keeping with a lot of these papers, however, is to focus on historic loss as the feature. But it also shows the recovery of whales since the ban on whaling.
In How to Survive the Next 100 Years: Lessons from Nature we delved into the significance of this increase. Asking, why haven’t we noticed, or studied, the huge, visible and positive impact this is having already?
Charlie Gardner has also pointed out that the result didn’t originally come from policymakers or research. Adding, “it wasn’t catalysed by people working the ‘formal channels’ to influence policy. It wasn’t policy briefs, scientists’ warnings or NGO lobbying that made it happen. No, it was Greenpeace and their 1970s Save the Whales campaign.”
It’s yet another example where community-led action really does work to create change. And when that change transforms minds and hearts, it has lasting benefits.
The benefits of restoring wildlife populations are only just starting to appear but they are of overwhelming importance to the future of humanity.
Drought, grazing and pests
Also published recently was a paper on an invasive species in China. Long gone are the days of Mao’s sparrow war when ecology was barely considered. This paper realises the importance of wildlife in the overall function(Of an ecosystem). A subset of ecosystem processes and structures, where the ecosystem does something that provides an ecosystem service of value to people. More for agriculture on a landscape level.
Just a few years ago, studies like this were barely heard about.
This research found that in areas with strong aridity or heavy grazing disturbance, invasive plants ‘found their opportunity to thrive’.
But it went further than just supporting the idea of more species. As the author points out, it’s the structure of diversity—not just the number of species— that matters. Adding, it’s ‘about maintaining how species differ and how they function together.’
For anyone who has read this blog or my books, this won’t come as a surprise. We were writing and reading about this several years ago.
It has taken scientists years to resolve the real meaning of biodiversityWhat is the definition of biodiversity? When we ask, what is the definition of biodiversity? It depends on what we want to do with it. The term is widely and commonly misused, leading to significant misinterpretation of the importance of how animals function on Earth and why they matter a great deal, to human survival. Here I will try to More. This is because we were taught the wrong definition to begin with. This mistake has defined decades of work that’s taken us in the wrong direction. The first step back onto the right path is to understand that animals are the drivers for ecosystemHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More health, food security and climate.
It’s good to see this narrative finally reaching contemporary scientific discourse though. But as Charlie Gardner points out, the change will need to come from us. The studies merely provide more overwhelming evidence that our future depends on co-existence with nature.
