Humans are THE Keystone Species of the Earth

Humans are THE Keystone Species of the Earth

The Earth needs us as much as we need the Earth

A keystone species is an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. The concept and term were created in 1966 by Robert Paine. Wolves are keystone species. So are sea otters. So were the buffalo on the plains of North America. Just before he died in 2016 he elaborated this concept by saying humans are now the Keystone species of all the other Keystone species: we now are the linchpin of the ecosystems of the Earth. That is an awful responsibility to have; but given that we actually have the ability to as much as good as evil we can see that there is always opportunity to create the good in the midst of the evil we are doing. First the bad news, then the good.

Here is refreshingly unpleasant perspective on our predicament: perhaps we are just another species trying to survive. Perhaps our “success” is just a path to extinction because we are not staying within our alloted place in the ecosystem? Perhaps all the socio-political-economic issues we focus on are totally beside the point? Perhaps the theory of human exceptionalism is, like most theories, wrong. Perhaps we need to admit to what we are: just another animal trying desperately to reproduce as much as possible. Yup, we seem to behaving no differently that bunnies or pond scum – we make babies and consume resources until they run out or a disease strikes us. Yup, if true, this is really embarassing because the other perspective I have on humanity is that we really are special: our brain is huge and our social structure complex and capable of great healing – or destruction.

So what springs forth from the above “refreshingly pessimistic perspective” that can somehow be transformed into a positive, life affirming way of being and acting? The secret is in the title: as THE keystone species of all keystone species we have the role to make or break life on Earth. The good news in this is that we have both the ability and motivation to heal the Earth and examples from the past of societies that did just that.

These questions are asked in Jim Bendell’s new book, Breaking Together, which I am in the mist of reading. I want to focus on only one bit from the book, his discussion about Lyla June, Navajo historical ecologist. She proposes the possibility that some Indigenous cultures that lasted thousands of years had learned, through trial and error, see find their role as Keystone societies that not enriched the lives of all life where they lived. In other words, a sustainable society is not a blight upon the Earth, as we are today, but instead enriches all life. In other words, the solution to our destructive ways is not to see people as the problem, but rather to see them and their amazing minds, as part of the solution. Yes, we are “just” another species competing with others to survive, but we are the keystone species of all the keystone species that can increase the richness of our ecosystems IF we change our perspective and totally revamp how we live. That means becoming partners with the land, that is, we are simply another species with its unique and life affirming [yes, hunting and eating is still OK] role. By now I am sure you figured out that means becoming Indigenous. It means letting go – not giving up! – of our myths of progress and growth and technology as salvation and the domination of humanity over all other life. Lyla gives concrete examples from cultures of North American tribes.[1] Here is the example of how fire was used differently to change yet promote life [3]:

William Cronon, a prominent environmental historian, wrote that “the choice is not between two landscapes, one with and one without a human influence; it is between two ways of living, two ways of belonging to an ecosystem” These two ways are modification of ecosystems through fire or through development, such as farming and grazing. Generally, the American Indians burned parts of the ecosystems in which they lived to promote a diversity of habitats, especially increasing the “edge effect,” which gave the Indians greater security and stability to their lives. Their use of fire was different from white settlers who burned to create greater uniformity in ecosystems.

Civilization will be the death of us. – Emerson

For me this quote only applies to our current form of civilization, remembering that in Emerson’s time the only society considered truly civilized was that of Europe. Perhaps this civilization is profoundly uncivilized, in that it requires death exploitation and some version of slavery to exist. Perhaps our ideas that civilization means cities and empires where the non-human world is not even part of the equation is itself problem. Perhaps we can evolve our ivilization that give us a path towards becoming a healthy keystone society? Perhaps we can see the collapse of our current techno-progess-growth as salvation society as a good thing instead of a bad thing – IF – and this is a big IF – if and only if we can avert a Mad Max scenario. Our task is then to now “till the soil” of this future society, one with a new humans as part of Nature “religion” instead of separate from it.

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail – Emerson

One aspect of this challenge is explored by Jim Bendell [2] who also sees the need for a new perspective – a new “Religion” – if we see that our obsession with technology and progress and growth and left-brain styled reason as a religion. With this view it is not humans per se who are destroying life – it is our particular society and its Techno Idolatry–techno salvation religion. If you see that our MIT civilization is destroying itself and the Earth you are labelled as a heretic and consigned to the margins where you are now a lunatic.

So what are you and I to do? Become heretics. Become lunatics. Work in any way we can towards helping to build a new worldview and new way of living that is Indigenous so that we can reach out towards the potential that humanity has by transforming our current role as a deadly Keystone society into a life affirming and sustainable Keystone society where we can truly say:

The Earth needs us as much as we need the Earth

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH5zJxQETl4 Lyla June

2. Breaking Together, Jim Bendell

3. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.itcnet.org/file_download/5d76d377-8025-4780-8511-4dc8d0596e45&ved=2ahUKEwjfup6NofWJAxW2v4kEHVVlHbYQFnoECBYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0L2Eo4iolzP6ZZeMdzYgYD REFERENCES ON THE AMERICAN INDIAN USE OF FIRE IN ECOSYSTEMS