the next decades. Each rebirth would be a global sensation. However, each young
animal could only be raised by a mother of another species. Their behaviour most
likely will not be the behaviour of the extinct animal. It will also take a long time to
produce a population from which parts might be released to the wild.
Thus, at the moment de-extinction events have not been completed even if certain
steps and genetic methods are in progress.
4 Summary and Conclusion
This chapter reviews a selection of environmental indicators, concepts, strategies
and measures to evaluate and protect ecosystems and biodiversity. If indicators
combine different aspects of the environment or human behaviour it is impossible
to reason back to the contribution and power of the parameters involved. Furthermore, it is difficult to evaluate the meaning and accuracy of complex indicators such
as the Ecological Footprint.
The currently used and developed concepts and applications to protect the
environment, ecosystems and biodiversity have different implications and should
be properly monitored with respect to the goal, effectiveness and money invested.
Even if there is little interest of a person, institution or political party in species
conservation, different strategies, measures and treatments can be used to greening,
whitewashing or denigrating a policy, development or institution.
Different regulations, programmes and measures should be adjusted regularly to
maintain their effectiveness. The global range and percentage of protected areas
including national parks, restoration measures, activities of zoos and botanical
gardens, measures of captive breeding with modern methods of genetic engineering,
and the money invested most probably will increase also in the future. Thus, at the
moment these can be identified as important and promising.
Other concepts such as de-extinction programmes and the development of related
methods cost a lot of money today, so far without success. However, sensational
resurrection events of plants and animals that are already globally extinct might be
expected within the next decades—if genetic material still exists or can be
recombined.
Acknowledgements I sincerely thank Laura Sutcliffe, University of Göttingen, for valuable
comments on the manuscript.
References
Arrhenius O (1921) Species and area. J Ecol 9:95–99
Auliya M, Altherr S, Ariano-Sánchez D, Baard E, Brown C, Brown R, Cantu C, Gentile G,
Gildenhuys P, Henningheim E, Hintzmann J, Kanari K, Krvavac M, Lettink M, Lippert J,
176
C. Hobohm
animal could only be raised by a mother of another species. Their behaviour most
likely will not be the behaviour of the extinct animal. It will also take a long time to
produce a population from which parts might be released to the wild.
Thus, at the moment de-extinction events have not been completed even if certain
steps and genetic methods are in progress.
4 Summary and Conclusion
This chapter reviews a selection of environmental indicators, concepts, strategies
and measures to evaluate and protect ecosystems and biodiversity. If indicators
combine different aspects of the environment or human behaviour it is impossible
to reason back to the contribution and power of the parameters involved. Furthermore, it is difficult to evaluate the meaning and accuracy of complex indicators such
as the Ecological Footprint.
The currently used and developed concepts and applications to protect the
environment, ecosystems and biodiversity have different implications and should
be properly monitored with respect to the goal, effectiveness and money invested.
Even if there is little interest of a person, institution or political party in species
conservation, different strategies, measures and treatments can be used to greening,
whitewashing or denigrating a policy, development or institution.
Different regulations, programmes and measures should be adjusted regularly to
maintain their effectiveness. The global range and percentage of protected areas
including national parks, restoration measures, activities of zoos and botanical
gardens, measures of captive breeding with modern methods of genetic engineering,
and the money invested most probably will increase also in the future. Thus, at the
moment these can be identified as important and promising.
Other concepts such as de-extinction programmes and the development of related
methods cost a lot of money today, so far without success. However, sensational
resurrection events of plants and animals that are already globally extinct might be
expected within the next decades—if genetic material still exists or can be
recombined.
Acknowledgements I sincerely thank Laura Sutcliffe, University of Göttingen, for valuable
comments on the manuscript.
References
Arrhenius O (1921) Species and area. J Ecol 9:95–99
Auliya M, Altherr S, Ariano-Sánchez D, Baard E, Brown C, Brown R, Cantu C, Gentile G,
Gildenhuys P, Henningheim E, Hintzmann J, Kanari K, Krvavac M, Lettink M, Lippert J,
176
C. Hobohm