When a beaver cuts down an aspen for its own benefit, it then creates a pond that builds and renews an ecosystem for countless species. We call the beaver (and bee, parrotfish and prairie dog…) a keystone species because its consumptive lifestyle has a net benefit on its local and global environment.
Is it possible for humans to be keystone species? Can our consumption also have a positive impact?
The seats we are took up on our flights on this trip to Indonesia were responsible for about 22,000 lbs of co2 (the same as 1900 gallons of gasoline or 33% of Wendy and my annual carbon footprint). This outrageous consumption has a massive negative impact on the planet we share and like beaver’s destruction of the aspen, this impact will not be undone.
However, as keystone species our consumption will prove to benefit our planet as well. As we offset our consumption with the building of reefs as well as the planting of trees, conservation, technology, and policy efforts we share in with Wren, this consumption will positively impact our lives and our world.
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