Animal Conservation in the Twenty-First Century

Biodiversity on Earth is rapidly decreasing and the situation in the Netherlands is in that perspective a textbook example. The main causes for species extinction are habitat loss, landscape degradation and overuse. Conservation efforts should focus more on the level of viable ecosystems. A strategic plan to do so is called Cores, Corridors and Carnivores (rewilding’s three C’s). This requires strong Cores of nature, mutually connected via robust Corridors. Based on island biogeography theory it can be calculated that if we want to conserve roughly 85% of the current biodiversity, 50% of the Earth’s surface needs to be protected, ‘Nature needs half’. For healthy ecosystems we need to get top-down forcing by apex consumers back in ecosystems. These apex consumers are mainly large Carnivores, and bringing them back asks for coexistence. If we want to keep our living conditions on planet Earth healthy we have to change our unsustainable way of living and change our way of thinking with respect to nature, natural processes and our relation with other species. The loss of biodiversity can only be halted or reversed if we save more space for nature and natural processes including top-down forcing and last but not least, find a way of coexistence with our fellow creatures.