https://lifeboat.com/blog/2021/11/ben-novak-lead-scientist-revive-restore-de-extinction-biotechnology-conservation-biology Safeguarding Humanity Fri, 03 Dec 2021 12:57:25 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2021/11/ben-novak-lead-scientist-revive-restore-de-extinction-biotechnology-conservation-biology#comment-439470 Fri, 03 Dec 2021 12:57:25 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2021/11/ben-novak-lead-scientist-revive-restore-de-extinction-biotechnology-conservation-biology#comment-439470 I watched the video of your presentation on restoration of the passenger pigeon and forests with interest. I am a forest landowner in eastern Virginia and your response to the question of would passenger pigeons become a nuisance struck me as very superficial as the impacts would be tremendous on agriculture, forestry and ordinary citizens. The landscape, population density, property tax systems and many other things are very, very different in the east than in Montana. One short example- thousands of birds descending on a ripe wheat field would devastate that field, leaving the farmer with no crop and the landowner unable to receive rent if they weren’t also the farmer. In my case about 10% of my land is agricultural and I rent that to a neighboring farmer. That pays my property taxes. If that income was gone or significantly reduced, I would be forced to significantly increase forestry harvest and instead of a mixed pine/hardwood forest, I’d have to convert it all to pine plantation to generate short term income- thus reducing diversity. While I’d love to see reintroduction of passenger pigeons, it is a much, much different world than in 1905 and the societal impacts are potentially significant and not to be glossed over.

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