An article in The New York Times this week reports on disagreement regarding the benefits of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park, especially since ecologic assessments have not always considered complicating factors such as the simultaneous reintroduction of beaver and a record surge in the number of bison. Prior conclusions that the wolves, by reducing the elk population, have rescued the Park's varied ecosystems (especially riverine corridors) may be overly simplified.
Without getting into the details of the report, the issues seem to boil down to our inability to micromanage nature, especially when we establish unnatural boundaries and overwhelm the Parks with unbridled tourism. Of course, allowing nature to define both the reintroduction process and the range of resident wildlife species would make the most sense but we humans prefer to establish the rules.
National Parks, however large, gradually become cageless zoos. Animals that wander beyond the artificial borders of the Park, threaten livestock or injure human visitors are "culled." Natural ecosystems cannot be confined or regulated.
