In the November issue of The American Naturalist, a group of 12 ecologists and conservationists provide a detailed proposal for the restoration of North America's lost megafauna. Using the same species from different locales or closely related species as analogs, their project "Pleistocene Rewilding" is conceived as carefully managed experiments in an attempt to learn about and partially restore important natural processes to North American ecosystems that were present for millennia until humans played a significant role in their demise 13,000 years ago.

"Over the past 30 years, more and more evidence suggests that if we lose large animals from ecosystems, they often collapse and biodiversity, along with society, are the ultimate losers," says Josh Donlan (Cornell University).

"For millions of years, large animals were the norm all over the world ... we should start thinking about reintroducing these large animals and restoring these important processes back to ecosystems."

Starting with giant tortoises and wild horses, then moving toward lions and elephants, the authors provide a number of case studies for "Pleistocene Rewilding" and argue such introductions would contribute biological, economic, and cultural benefits to North America.

The authors acknowledge that there are substantial risks and challenges; the risks of inaction may be even greater, however, including the continued global loss of megafauna.

Related Links
The American Naturalist
Cornell University
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com