Why Diversify?
Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist Edward O. Wilson has a new book The Diversity of Life
published by the Harvard University Press. In this book Wilson discusses the value of genetic diversity, and the terrible risks we face as that diversity dwindles. Edward Wilson was recently interviewed on NPR’s Science Friday where he put into words some of the urgency I, and so many, many others feel regarding the conservation of the diversity we have before it is lost.
WILSON: …we're coming to understand the great value of preserving what is left of biological diversity in nature. We can provide many, many examples of products that have been forthcoming just in recent times, and the likelihood of vast, new important products -- drugs, new kinds of crops, fibers, petroleum substitutes, restorers of exhausted soil, and on and on.
… every species is a great treasure for humanity to enjoy and use for centuries, for thousands of years to come, and that in saving them, we should not only regard them as having this enormous, virtually limitless potential for our children’s' future, but also as part of our deep history -- literally the cradle in which the human spirit was born.
As The Livestock Conservancy, (previously the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) tells us: The need for livestock conservation is urgent. Throughout agricultural history, each generation has taken its turn as steward of the genetic trust. Our generation is now in danger of bankrupting this trust and leaving little for the future. Each day, some breeds move closer to extinction. Each extinction reduces the diversity within the livestock species and the biodiversity of the Earth.
In simple terms, we cannot afford to put all of our eggs into one basket.
At Grimm Acres, Diversified we have chosen to take our small position on the front line actively working to preserve the genetic diversity in our small number of livestock and poultry. We work to do our part in caring for the animals and spreading the word about the intrinsic value of each species, and the joy they bring into every day of our lives. “At Grimm Acres the animals are not our whole lives, but they help to make our lives whole.”
