Yesterday, I read an article in the New York Times about Florida's decision to feed manatees, the regional "sea cows" that are threatened with extinction. Their demise is primarily related to the destruction of sea grass beds in bays and rivers of the Sunshine State.
This ongoing destruction has resulted from toxic algal blooms, fueled by the inflow of nitrogenous pollutants from wastewater plants, septic tanks, farmlands and industry; the rising sea level, a direct result of global warming, is also damaging the beds.
It is easy to garner public support for efforts to rescue these gentle, aquatic mammals, familiar symbols of the State itself (and valuable agents for the tourist industry); besides, feeding them is easier than confronting the powerful industrial and agricultural concerns that are responsible for their demise. Furthermore, feeding these mellow and innocent victims seems to be the humane thing to do. But the effort to manipulate natural ecosystems is fraught with complications and we cannot "zoo-ify" the planet to balance the damage we continue to inflict. In my opinion, we should concentrate on restoring, protecting and rewilding the natural environment of our planet, the only means we have to protect its countless species and to support the complex interrelationships that are vital to its welfare.
