Homo sapiens, the name of an ape that fell from the trees to dominate the world, a species that thrived, like no other, to have in his hand the future of all living beings on the planet.
This story could be interpreted by many as a show of anthropocentrism, far from the fundamentals that define the conservation movement. We should understand, however, a wonderful chapter in the History of Life on Planet Earth. In fact, our current dominance of the biosphere is not greater than that of a few oxygen-producing bacteria of the Precambrian.
The human being has a privilege reserved for few, but this time the chosen species is, for the first time, fully aware of his responsibilities and can decide how to cope.
From the beginning of time man has learned learned to live in harmony with his environment, taking his place, like any other species, in the complex web of nature. Even today, in remote places, one can find human groups completely integrated in their environment who, like others from their world, are not exempt from the threats of the modern industrial society.
Until recent centuries, or say perhaps decades, the technology did not allowed that human greed result in the destruction of global biodiversity. In recent times, however, new advances are leading to a change of global proportions that seems, at least, difficult to stop.
But is this progress which puts in our hands the tools needed to achieve a new balance with the natural world. We also have the advantage that gives the experience, we know the mistakes to be avoided and we can build on the experiences of the past, in which we only produced what we really needed.
Our intelligence has brought us here, and it itself warns us that we cannot go much further without changing our development model. It is time to assume, from the humility, our reponsibility to the world, and deal with the challenges that lie ahead, using all weapons which nature has endowed us. It is time to return to be another species of the web of life, as wonderful as any other.
Homo sapiens, this must be our name.
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