George Monbiot (All these common English
species we've driven them towards extinction, 16 March) rightly draws attention to yet more reports about loss of species. But he doesn't highlight the urgent importance of such losses. The human race is where it is because of the extraordinary range of living species on the planet that are all involved in providing our ecosystem services – ie climate regulation, purification of water and air, decomposition, recycling and many others – and upon which we are all totally dependent.Of course it is possible lose a few charmingly named plants and insects – and even some unnamed but equally important microbes – and not notice anything amiss. But each loss means yet another deterioration in the resilience of the living world to survive. This is crucial in an era when even greater resilience is needed to deal with climate change and destabilisation.Professor Martin WolfeEye, Suffolk• Your article (More than two extinct species a year, 11 March) highlights the alarming loss of
England's
wildlife heritage. This should sound a call for more action to conserve and restore the wealth of species which add colour and vitality to life. We need to redouble our efforts to stop extinction and prevent more of England's wildlife from slipping over the edge. This means we need to: complete the protected area network, particularly at sea; reduce human impacts, such as damaging airport, barrage and infrastructure developments; reduce the impact of non-native species; and increase funding for both targeted species management projects and restoring wildlife habitats at a landscape scale. In 2010 – the International Year of Biodiversity – it is clear the loss of wildlife continues not just in England, but across Europe too, and we need an ambitious EU 2020 target for biodiversity conservationDr Mark Avery Director of conservation, RSPB BiodiversityPlantsBirdsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content i ...
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