Hi Alan,
I'm happy to end the "debate" too, with one last statement. Since I work as a professional conservationist often enough, I thought I needed to speak up, because we have differing views. I'm a bit more like a car mechanic, if we can make the strained metaphor that a forest is like a car. For me, elephants are like brakes or ball joints. Lose them and the car changes from a vehicle to a lawn ornament. Still useful perhaps, but drastically different in function, and drastically reduced in value.
I'd also argue with the idea that we're all doomed. My personal problem with that view is that it can be used to justify any activity. After all, if things are coming to the end, why should we care about the future? The Conquistadors reportedly had that view when they invaded the new world. They were expecting the second coming at any second, and so did not care about the humanity of the Indians. Considering that the Conquistadors had recently been through the Black Death and various wars, one can understand their bleak outlook. We're still living with the consequences of their world view.
So far as I can tell, there's no particular reason to think that the human species will become extinct any time soon. That means somebody's kids (possibly our own) get to live with the problems we're creating. That's reason enough to care about what we do, at least for me.
As you noted, Alan, we have different viewpoints, and I value yours. If you want to end the debate here, I'm happy to agree to disagree, and to get back to weapons.
F
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