“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” – John Muir

~

G+ Comment:  “As we enter the Anthropocene (the 6th great extinction) it’s good to be reminded why we must fight for every species.”

~

Reddit comment: “I think something really important is illustrated here about the limitations of hunting by humans.

The key element of the trophic cascade was not the reduction in deer population, but that the wolves hunt the /least/ fit to survive. A wolf kills in a predictable pattern — the slowest and weakest and least capable of avoiding capture. This caused deer to stabilize rather than simply decimating them. The deer developed survival mechanisms (staying out of the canyons valleys etc) which caused certain areas to recover. Humans (armed with technology) adapt much faster than the deer are able to cope with. The deer aren’t safe anywhere, and so their behavioral changes aren’t significant to address the ecological needs.”

The most beautiful video I’ve seen this month.

Full talk:

~

Visit http://sustainableman.org/ to explore the world of sustainability.
For more from George Monbiot, visit http://www.monbiot.com/

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable “trophic cascade” occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix.

B-Roll Credits:
“Greater Yellowstone Coalition – Wolves” (http://bit.ly/1lK4LaT)
“Wolf Mountain” (http://bit.ly/1hgi6JE)
“Primodial – Yellowstone” (https://vimeo.com/77097538)
“Timelapse: Yellowstone National Park” (http://bit.ly/1kF5axc)
“Yellowstone” (http://bit.ly/1bPI6DM)
“Howling Wolves – Heulende Wölfe” (http://bit.ly/1c2Oidv)
Interview from TED: “For more wonder, rewild the world” by George Monbiot
“Fooled by Nature: Beaver Dams” (http://bit.ly/NGgQSU)

Music Credits:
“Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration, Arson” by Chris Zabriskie (http://bit.ly/1c2uckW)

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the US Copyright Law.

For any concerns or questions, you may contact us athttp://sustainableman.org/contact/