The dubious role of man in a questionable mass extinction

Ongoing extinction of species and higher-order taxa was the rule rather than the exception in the geological past. In addition, mass extinctions occurred several times. However catastrophic these may have been, they have also created the opportunities for a wide variety of new species to develop, thus constituting an integral part of lifeʹs evolution on Earth. generally believed that both plant and animal species have, in the geologically recent past, become (and are still becoming) extinct at such a high rate that the Late Quaternary may be considered—from a geological point of view—as a timespan of mass extinction. Several actions are currently being taken to save species from extinction. It is argued that no scientific proof for a mass extinction currently taking place exists. In addition, measures to save threatened species from extinction do, however nature-friendly they may seem, in fact counteract natural evolution.