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“Trends in the state of nature and their implications for human well-being” and The End of the Wild had two different takes on the loss of biodiversity we are currently facing; while the latter places more focus on the consequences on nature itself, the former places more focus on the consequences humans will have to deal with. This enabled us to observe the effects of decreasing biodiversity from two viewpoints, although neither is more definitively important than the other. The End of the Wild,  not only discussed what is currently occurring to biodiversity around the world and the causes, but also what is being done about it, with a special emphasis on the uselessness of them, for this crisis “is over, and we have lost.”

During our discussion on this book, I pointed out the numerous contradictions that caught my attention while reading the book, one of which is the fact that Stephen M. Meyer writes that anthropogenic transformation, is not only due to our destructive activity, but also from our efforts to protect and maintain biodiversity, and yet he recognizes that doing nothing is just as harmful and that direct management is necessary to maintain existence of endangered species. Although the first few chapters imply that Meyer believes there is no way to prevent the end of the wild, that none of the tools we use to preserve biodiversity can stop the rapid decrease of life on this planet, he suggests ways in which we can buy some time, one of which is the protection of landscape. This involves preserving selected ecosystem processes and functions. But how should these ecosystems be chosen? What makes an ecosystem the “right” one? In our discussion, we established that a “right” ecosystem is one that is resilient to change, one that can stabilize itself, and can maintain its ability to adapt. We also discussed the importance of variation between populations, as well as variation within populations, which is why a uniform-looking world would not be a beneficial change to the environment.

“Trends in the state of nature and their implications for human well-being” discusses what is currently known about the current status of biodiversity around the world and the consequences on human well-beings. In this article, the emphasis is on ecosystem services and the quantifiable value of nature to us. In this article, the value of biodiversity is implied strictly as tradable commodity. Despite the fact that The End of the Wild has a different approach and view of the quality of biodiversity, like the book, this article also suggests ways to prevent “the end of the wild.” One useful management tool in restoring degraded habitats suggested – the biological control of invasive species via the introduction of natural enemies from the species native ranges – however, is questionable, considering the danger of alien species, which is discussed in the book as a big issue.  

However the value of biodiversity is viewed, one thing is certain. We need to conduct more research to fill in the gaps that keeps us from seeing the whole picture. Because without enough information, what must be done about it will remain uncertain.