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Re: mass extinction
Dann Pigdon wrote:
On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:57:03 -0500, Jeff Hecht wrote
That's an important part of the evidence that humans were linked to
the Pleistocene extinction -- our widespread presence was something
that differed from prior interglacials.
In cases like New Zealand, megafaunal extinction was very rapid after the
introduction of feral primates, and their activities can probably be blamed.
However in other areas (like Australia) where there was a long coexistance
(tens of thousands of years), those pesky primates certainly weren't the sole
reason for megafaunal extinction. They may not even have been the main
reason.
No doubt hunting activities and land clearance didn't help, however middle-
class guilt and political correctness are not good reasons to lump the blame
entirely on us poor maligned hominids. We're not *completely* evil. :)
Well said, Dann. A recent summary of the issues involved with
extrapolating primate-induced extinctions on islands to continents (such
as Australia) can be found in:
Wroe, Field, and Grayson, 2006: Megafaunal extinction: climate, humans
and assumptions. TREE, 21(2): 61-2
which reminds us that "islands are not continents writ small"... I have
a pdf is anyone is interested.
The distinction between hunting/habitat clearance and climate change as
primary agents of megafaunal extinction is important over here for
reasons that go beyond trying to understand how the world works. The
thesis that Aboriginal Australians were primarly responsible for the
extinctions has reportedly been used to marginalise Traditional Owners
from land management practice in some situations. And as long as
Aboriginals remain the 'prime culprit' for the extinctions, the 'head in
the sand' lobby (i.e. those hostile to the idea of human induced climate
change) don't have to face up to the idea that climate change can cause
extinctions (remember that the Australian governement is alone in the
developed world with the US in refusing to ratify Kyoto and in refusing
to consider any climate change 'solution' that does not explicitly
benefit Big Coal). The net result is that the 'scientific' debate on
megafaunal exinctions in Australia has become extremely heated and
politicised - but as Dann says, those of you overseas should understand
that not everyone here believes that the first Australians knocked out
the megafauna. Some of the stories of the backstabbing that goes on
are extraordinary... makes me glad I work on the Mesozoic.. :-)
Cheers
Col
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Colin McHenry
School of Environmental and Life Sciences (Geology)
University of Newcastle
Callaghan NSW 2308
Australia
Tel: +61 2 4921 5404
Fax: + 61 2 4921 6925
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Colin McHenry & Sarah Johnston
14 Summer Place
Merewether Heights NSW 2291
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+61 2 4963 2340
cmchenry@westserv.net.au
Colin.Mchenry@newcastle.edu.au