The Fall of the Wild: Extinction, De-Extinction, and the Ethics of Conservation

by Ben A. Minteer

The passenger pigeon, the great auk, the Tasmanian tiger--the memory of these vanished species haunts the fight against extinction. Seeking to save other creatures from their fate in an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, wildlife advocates have become captivated by a narrative of heroic conservation efforts. A range of technological and policy strategies, from the traditional, such as regulations and refuges, to the novel--the scientific wizardry of genetic engineering and synthetic biology--seemingly promise solutions to the extinction crisis.

In The Fall of the Wild, Ben A. Minteer calls for reflection on the ethical dilemmas of species loss and recovery in an increasingly human-driven world. He asks an unsettling but necessary question: Might our well-meaning efforts to save and restore wildlife pose a threat to the ideal of preserving a world that isn't completely under the human thumb? Minteer probes the tension between our impulse to do whatever it takes and the risk of pursuing strategies that undermine our broader commitment to the preservation of wildness. From collecting wildlife specimens for museums and the wilderness aspirations of zoos to visions of "assisted colonization" of new habitats and high-tech attempts to revive long-extinct species, he explores the scientific and ethical concerns vexing conservation today. The Fall of the Wild is a nuanced treatment of the deeper moral issues underpinning the quest to save species on the brink of extinction and an accessible intervention in debates over the principles and practice of nature conservation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 8, 2018

About the author

Ben A. Minteer writes about conservation, the wild, zoos, and the evolution of American environmental thought. His current work explores the wilderness idea and its expression in landscape photography, from Carleton Watkins and Ansel Adams to the present day.

Ben is a professor of environmental ethics and conservation in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University in Tempe, where he also holds the Arizona Zoological Society Endowed Chair. At ASU, he teaches a set of undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental ethics and the history and philosophy of conservation.

Reviews

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Incredibly thought-provoking and captivating all the way throughout. Minteer provides a baseline introduction to the ethical and moral dilemmas of the world of conservation, and does so in a relatively non-technical way, making it accessible for all readers.

Covering topics ranging from the role of zoos & wildlife parks in conservation and scientific collection of specimens to more controversial assisted colonization and de-extinction, Minteer introduces the topic and a brief history of it and covers the modern debates surrounding the topic, some of which are surprising where many scientists and conservations stand.

The most infuriating topic, with a head-desk worthy ideology, for me was the ethical justification behind collecting specimens for scientific research and record. Killing at least one or two members of a species of any type of creature and preserving it for further scientific study and research has been a common method for centuries. But given the modern concern with conserving species and being more aware of the possibility that a newly discovered species may already be endangered, it would make sense that kill-collecting specimens would occur less frequently, especially given many technological advances in monitoring that have been introduced in the past few decades.

I was surprised to learn that kill-collecting is still very common, highly defended in many circles, and is encouraged to an extreme. Many scientists believe it’s actually better to collect more specimens of a rare, likely rare, or rediscovered species, justifying that they’re preserving the few remaining individuals for historical record. If they didn’t do this, they argue, then it would be difficult to study the species in the future and would also provide an opportunity for the public to see the species, as the specimens could be shown in multiple museums.

The ethical debate about zoos and wildlife parks didn’t add too much to the equation, I didn’t think, although it did focus substantially on discussing Zootopia (the expansion to Denmark’s Givskud Zoo, not the movie). Intended to be an immersive experience for visitors and minimally invasive for the animals, it’s an interesting idea, but raises questions about where the “wild” ends and a manufactured habitat begins.

Assisted colonization and de-extinction receive ample chapters discussing not only the ethical dilemmas, but also providing historical perspective of the issues, which added even more depth to the arguments being made.

Minteer does inject not only his view, but some of the research he himself has done and written about for these various topics. He isn’t completely removed from the narrative, but he is relatively transparent when he includes his own research and conclusions.

While the subject matter might be a relatively niche interest, if you’re at all interested in conservation and the ethics surrounding it, I’d highly recommend this book! It raises some truly fascinating questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!

(Cross posted on my blog.)

[Anjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of (almost) essays. The author is an expert in the field and has been involved in multiple conversations about the status of the conservation and related fields. This may be an abrupt form of starting a review but the book is equally straightforward and jumps right into the heart of the matter.

There are so many things about the conservation of wildlife by the powerful white man, as this goes back to when they held all the power, that I had no idea about. These men ruled at the time when travelling was the ultimate adventure and the 'discovery' of species (which indigenous people might have well been aware of a lot of them, but they did not count) was something extraordinary. Without the scientific construct and equipment available then as we do now, killing and dissecting as well as taxidermy was the only way to preserve information. To continue that method even now seems absurd to me (as a non-scientific reader), but there are people who stand by the idea. The discussion is not limited to the idea of conservation but how to treat extinction once it has already taken place and if there is a chance to reverse the trend (who knew!). Any discussion surrounding ethics in any capacity is always fascinating and this would liven up any reading group looking for something new.

It was text-heavy and took me a long time to read despite being a small volume but it definitely is worth reading because it brings to the forefront all the behind-the-scenes discussions people in authority have been having. This puts us in a better position to understand what the current definition of 'Wild' even is as well as how we as an average person can contribute to its survival. I highly recommend anyone who is remotely interested in the status of conservation in the world right now pick this up as a novice, since I am sure anyone already in the field would be aware of the content of this book.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley but the review is completely based on my own reading experience. I might just read it again slower sometime.

[Melkor von Moltke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This proved to be quite a difficult book to review. I have always loved studying extinct species and the prospect of bringing them back in the flesh is something that excites me immensely, particularly the Thylacine featured on the cover of this book. Mr. Minteer's work certainly did cover that subject, as well as introducing me to new intriguing ideas like the introducing elephants in North America to fill the role left behind by the extinction of the mammoth. However, while these ideas initially got me quite excited... Mr. Minteer takes less pleasure in these ideas. He, and his coauthor's main theme is caution and reflection, instead of charging in and taking drastic action.

Some of their arguments are stronger than others (species dying out to teach man a "lesson" was the most egregious) and they did get me worked up, trying to use my layman's logic to counter their well researched arguments. More importantly, the work made me think. It made me question my beliefs and motives, forcing me to genuinely reflect on my views. It made me want to dig into the topic. In spite of my dislike of quite a few of the authors' points and views, they have succeeded very well in this work.

The book does have a few slow points that drag and one of the early chapters is mostly a defense of a previously published paper.

Ultimately, this is a good book that challenged me, and will certainly influence my views on the ethics of conservation in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.

This book focuses on the ethics, pros and cons, of a variety of conservation methods. Ben Minteer makes use of several popular examples to make his point. Examples and topics that make an appearance in this book include the Passenger Pigeon, Great Auk, Thylacine, Elephants, American Bison, Condors, specimen collecting of marginal species, captive breeding programmes, the future appearance of zoos (think Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs), species translocation, assisted colonization of endeangered species outside their usual range, resurrection science, and the limits of technological "fixes" to problems.

What the author has tried to promote in this book is an alternative environmental ethic, what he calls "pragmatic preservationism". This concept captures two core ideas regarding conservation" (1) the growing need to intervene more aggressively to save species in a rapidly changing environment; and (2) an acknowledgement of our resonsibility to preseve a convincing sense of the wild and a respect for nature as we implement (or not) these interventions.

While this isn't a particularly original or detailed examination of the topic, it does make for an interesting, well-written, thought-provoking, enjoyable and short introduction to conservation ethics, with no irrelevant biographical side tangents.

[Gayle Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minteer's book fills a niche in animal-related non-fiction that is fairly sparsely populated. I have not seen many books that deal with the idea of de-extinction, i.e. bringing extinct life back through cloning and gene manipulation. I found the premise of the book extremely intriguing because I have often wished that life forms made extinct in the recent past, especially by human intervention, could be brought back somehow Jurassic-Park style, but without the giant predators!
Written for the general public in a style very comprehensible to non-scientists, "The Fall of the Wild" gives detailed histories of the extinction of animals such as the Passenger Pigeon, the Great Auk, the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine), and the Heath Hen. He also describes near-extinctions, such as the American Bison, and how drastic conservation efforts saved the species.
Minteer advocates a type of conservation ethic that tries as much as possible to limit human disruption of already endangered and threatened species. For example, he received a lot of criticism from the scientific community for advocating non-lethal means of species documentation, for example using photography, audio recordings, and DNA swabs, rather than collecting "voucher specimens." Collecting voucher specimens involves killing one or more animals in the field to collect the remains for scientific study in the lab. Minter argues that this is irresponsible and dangerous to a species when the population of the species might be very small, rare, and/or isolated.
The book covers the case of zoos and aquariums in the world of conservation. The idea that zoos and aquariums have an important role to play in saving species from extinction is debatable, and Minter shows us both sides. The California Condor would most likely never have been saved if not for the intervention of the combined efforts of zoos and conservationists. On the other hand, zoos and aquariums are artificial environments for the animals and involve motives a bit more commercial than simply rescuing species from the brink of extinction. Do they have a role to play? The answer is yes and no. They have been instrumental in the captive breeding and reintroduction of endangered species, but sanctuaries and reserves can accomplish the same things without the exhibition aspect.
Another conservation effort discussed in the book is "assisted colonization," i.e translocating animals to other, safer habitats outside of their normal range to protect them from threats, such as climate change and poaching. Although a good short-term solution to greatly endangered species, this method is also controversial, as it does not solve the basic problems with the original habitat.
Finally, the idea of de-extinction, or "resurrection biology" is possibly even more controversial than non-lethal species documentation and assisted colonization. Minteer discusses the pros and cons of bringing species back from the extinction abyss in the fifth chapter "Promethean Dreams." What has happened to the species' habitat in its absence? How will other lifeforms deal with the sudden reintroduction of a creature gone for decades or centuries? How will new individuals of the species behave and adapt after being created "in a vacuum" as opposed to coming into being the natural way as the result of an unbroken line of evolution? Are we doing this to show our own technological prowess or to assuage our guilt, or is it truly for the good of the animals and nature? With an exploding extinction rate and rapidly advancing climate change, is it fair to bring them back when we are not handling the environment that well as it is? Should we be dealing with the present instead of trying to bring back the past?
These are the big questions to ponder and "The Fall of the Wild" serves as a helpful guide through the complex and controversial world of conservation ethics.

[D]

"The great challenge of environmental responsibility in the human age [...] is whether we can retain the sense of restraint and moral regard for nature that we think of as being the best of the conservation tradition while at the same time being pragmatic and clear-eyed about the global imapct of human activities and technologies."

Today, Monday 25 February 2019, is the hottest day of the year so far. More worryingly, today is also the hottest day ever to be recorded in the UK in February. This time last year I was standing on icy pavements, braving bitterly cold blizzards as my colleagues and I fought against the UK university sector's slashing of pension funds. Now fast forward one year: not only did we lose our battle, but it looks like we might well have lost the planet too. Today's glorious sunshine is another soul-crushing indication of how unlivable our planet is becoming.

How should conservation methods respond to our increasingly warming world? How can we bring the disciplines of ethics and zoology together in order to better understand the growing extinction of nonhuman life? And what can we learn from previous anthropogenic extinctions – think of the greak auk, the thylacine, or the passenger pigeon – so that past mistakes aren't repeated in the present?

These are some of the questions that Ben Minteer asks in his short, accessible exploration of extinction in the twenty-first century, The Fall of the Wild (2018). Minteer uses each of his six chapters to interrogate the thinking behind: the collecting of voucher specimens; zoos and conservation practices; assisted colonisation (what is sometimes called managed relocation); de-extinction; and geo-engineering. In doing so, Minteer offers a valuable introduction to – and even-handed meditation on – five of the most polarising debates in contemporary conservation discourses. He cautions against techno-futurist fixes to extinction (de-extinction, geo-engineering), complicates longstanding critiques of the zoological garden (which, he writers, tend to simplistically present "the zoo" as a homogenous unit), and finally calls us back to an earlier ecological tradition that began with Thoreau.

Throughout the book, though, I began to understand more clearly why many are so frustrated by self-proclaimed ethical ruminations on extinction, climate change, and the so-called Anthropocene. Not only is Minteer's language relatively affectless throughout (there's little to no sign of rage, mourning, or desperation here), but his inattention to economy and power offers us only a half-formed image of why extinctions happen. Minteer's chapters on the great auk and the buffalo, for example, make no mention of settler colonialism or the European epistemology of mastery, both of which still obtain today.

Worse, Minteer's answers to our present extinction crisis lack any sort of ambition. Minteer asks scientists not to take voucher specimens when the given species is close to extinction; he calls on conservation specialists to build better zoos; he thinks that it's probably wise to translocate endangered animals to safer environs; and he wants de-extinction enthusiasts to appreciate how important it is to focus resources on living animals, not extinct ones. These suggestions are self-evident enough, but to my mind they are unremarkable and insufficient.

I know this isn't *that* kind of book, but surely the urgency of these issues necessitates something more than what we are ultimately left with here? Minteer's even-handedness ends up being both his strength and his weakness – on the one hand, The Fall of the Wild neatly balances competing arguments in conservation discourse; but on the other, it lacks the commitment required to more fully meet the demands, the scale, and the horror of environmental destruction. We have a world to win!

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of six essays on the philosophical considerations involved in protecting wild species. I picked up this book because I'm hugely interested in de-extinction (the actual ongoing research to try and revive various extinct species through cloning and/or genetic engineering; the passenger pigeon is one currently closest to success, though the project on the woolly mammoth is probably more well-known), which Minteer is not a fan of. In general, I'd call Minteer a moderate for his views on conservation. Take the issue of zoos, for example. Several groups have called for their widespread closure, but Minteer doesn't go that far; instead, he points to the role of captive breeding in preventing the extinction of the California Condor or the Arabian Oryx, as well as the possibility of zoos inspiring visitors to become more involved in conservation. But he's not for massive deregulation or the too-close confinement of animals either.

Unsurprisingly, he's against de-extinction. His argument mostly centers on the idea that if humans know that we can 'fix' extinction, we won't try to prevent it as strongly. I don't find this convincing; it's not like de-extinction is easy, cheap, or simple, and I can't imagine extinction ever coming to seem unimportant, no matter how many technological fixes might exist.

But despite my disagreement on that issue, I very much enjoyed The Fall of the Wild. Minteer's writing is thoughtful, clear, and engaging, and he doesn't stick to theoretical philosophy, but tells multiple interesting stories. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of Zootopia, a not-yet-built zoo in Denmark that will be an immense, wall-less, cage-less landscape where animals wander free and humans peek at them from hidden enclosures. The story of the relocation of 500 elephants from one nature preserve to another several hundred miles away, done via helicopter and trucks, was also fascinating. Minteer frequently refers to Aldo Leopold (an American conservationist from the early 1900s), whom he has modeled his thinking after. Leopold sounds incredible, and Minteer's summaries of his life and philosophy were a new area to me, but one I found very compelling.

Overall a very intelligent and readable book if you're at all interested in the topic.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

How far do we as humans, in our incredible state of leverage over other species, go in our conservation efforts? Just what would the modern titans of environmental conservation have to say about species relocation, de-extinction (using DNA technology to bring back an extinct species), especially when considering current issues that complicate things such as climate change?

Such are questions that Minteer asks in his book, which is not a long read, to be honest.

The pros and cons of several subjects are brought to light here: We're asked to consider the taking of specimens in the name of science---especially at-risk species; the true relevance of zoos are called into question; we get to ponder just what 'ol Aldo Leopold would have thought about some still-debated quandaries in the conservation world; and, finally, to de-extinction, where Minteer unfolds what we could possibly gain (or lose) from it.

It's a grounded and sweeping pile of information wherein Minteer's obviously just allowing the juiciest of morsels to make the pages and sparing many of the details that would be riddled with scientific jargon wont to repel many readers once things get too far into the weeds.

It's obvious that Minteer is incredibly wary of bringing back any species from full extinction (his reasoning is compelling), and, in what could be arguably described as the most passionate point of the book, he outlines a nigh-apocalyptic scenario that's, well, worth considering, even as much as the animal-lover would like to just fly on to the next chapter.

A breeze of a read that wishes to bring you up to speed on some hot-button issues within the conservation circle, Minteer equips the reader to go on to continue to explore deeper in to his presented subjects (he even says as much and provides ample resources) and to not just sit idly by. Readers of all things nature will find something interesting here. Give it a go.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the advance read.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short collection of essays on various topics in wildlife conservation, ranging from killing for specimen collection, the necessity of zoos and ex-situ measures, to de-extinction and geoengineering. The author, being a specialist in ethics, spilled a lot of ink philosophizing about the morals of these human actions, which could tend to ramble on in some chapters. His own position on these issues tended to align with mine, being more of a traditionalist/conservative in values and attitudes. No new-fangled attempts at splicing genes to recreate facsimiles of extinct animals, or putting up aerosols to reflect the sun, both of which would only push us further from our empathy for nature, so sorely lacking already in modern society.

Not much new to me in this book in terms of technical knowledge, just debates about rights and wrongs, but I was compelled to finish it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from NetGalley. Minteer here makes a nuanced case for "pragmatic reservationism," as he calls it. This is an environmental ethic which does its best to limit human interventions in the natural world while acknowledging the occasional necessity of such interventions; for example, he argues that occasional translocation of threatened species in the face of likely extinction is an acceptable intervention but the reintroduction of an extinct species created from ancient DNA or modified from that creature's descendants is a bit ethically murky. Minteer's arguments are succinct and he makes his case as well as the case of those he disagrees with in a manner that is clear and readable even for those outside the realm of environmental science and ethics.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary days. Thoughtfully written book on saving endangered species (and maybe trying to bring a few back) for the layman. If offers challenging ideas and may be good at provoking conversation in the classroom and around the home. I have never been a fan of zoos. Wild life refugees get under my skin, too, but where to keep these beleaguered animals protected from humans? I offer no solution, but spending millions on reviving long gone species seems a waste of money. We need to concentrate on the ones we have left. Great book!

I received a Kindle Arc in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Should we or shouldn't we reintroduce animals back into the environments that we have evicted them from?. While it worked for the wolves of Yellowstone, people would probably balk even more if people try to bring back lions, cheetahs and elephants/mammoths to the Great plains of America where these animals roamed during the ice age.

[Jadyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful and important read for any aspiring conservationist. I especially appreciate Minteer posing the book as a consideration, allowing for reflection. Although Minteer states his positions at the end of each chapter, I felt like I was analyzing and challenging my own views along the way.

[Mol Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading this book I was feeling three stars about it, but as I was reading I realized it was exactly about what the title claimed. The information was consumable and fairly presented for the general reader.

[Matthew Hilfiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for anyone interested in conservation/environmental ethics

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unless you are actually studying about extinction at the time, you rarely think about it. This book is a thoughtful read for all. As a teacher I recommend as a supplement for classroom use and discussion,