No other species of bears or dogs will be able to evolve. It s not possible under the current hegemony of humans on the planet. It s our responsibility if we re biologists to dedicate a certain portion of our professional lives to protecting nature. I think a lot of scientists come to conservation biology because they re compelled to. They can t stand aside and be an objective observer of the death of nature.
Conservative biology is very popular for bright young people.
It s the idealism factor. We d like to restore as much true wilderness to North America as we possibly can. It s out there relatively undeveloped land. They d like to have people believe that their rights are being taken away. A better metaphor would be that we re making a deposit in the bank for the future.