As long as species have been evolving, species have been going extinct. It is estimated that over 99.9% of all species that ever lived are extinct. The average lifespan of a species is 1–10 million years, although this varies widely between taxa.

But the rate of extinction accelerated significantly

Two projects shared below are part of my reflection and interest in preservation, extinction, and de-extinction activities.

Take a minute to think about all the plants that went extinct

The installation draws attention to the relationship between tree felling and climate change. We try to heal progressive global warming only symptomatically. Soon, when nothing else could be done anymore, we will need grains and leaves preserved in the presented block of ice to prepare calming infusions. The object also refers to a seed bank institution, which is crucial for preserving biodiversity in the face of the progressive disappearance of species.

The project was realized for the exhibition in the Botanical Garden in Warsaw. It was a very hot day so the installation survived only one day.

The project had an interactive dimension, while it was melting it brought a lot of joy to the visitors. People were rubbing their hands, touching and hugging the ice cube.

EXTINCTION

EXTINCTION

Once this species ruled the skies of North America, the 2017 study's estimated historic population size of approximately 3–5 billion before their 19th century decline and eventual extinction.

In just 50 years the Passenger pigeons completely disappeared. Last recorded nest and egg, of this species, in the wild, were collected in 1985 near Minneapolis.

The reasons why they went extinct were the massive scale of hunting and the rapid loss of habitat. People didn’t use passenger pigeons only for food, bird’s gizzards were thought to dissolve gallstones, its blood was believed to help eye disorders, and its apparently anodyne dung was used to help headaches. Recent research also shows that even species as abundant as the passenger pigeon can be vulnerable to human threats if they are subject to dramatic population fluctuations.

The Passenger Pigeon sculpture was made from vegetable pulp. The sculpture later decomposed and enriched soil of the Botanical Garden where the sculpture was exposed.

The work was accompanied by performance “The lure”. Luring the bird which will never come. 

Bibliography:

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon

  • https://www.pnas.org/content/111/29/10636.abstract

  • Britt Wry, Rise of the Necrofauna, Greystone Books 2017

DATA

DATA

Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction

GERARDO CEBALLOS , PAUL R. EHRLICH, ANTHONY D. BARNOSKY, ANDRÉS GARCÍA, ROBERT M. PRINGLE, AND TODD M. PALMERAUTHORS INFO & AFFILIATIONS

SCIENCE ADVANCES, 19 Jun 2015: Vol 1, Issue 5

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400253

Selected Bibliography/Readings:

  • Andermann T, Faurby S, Turvey ST, Antonelli A, Silvestro D. The past and future human impact on mammalian diversity. Sci Adv. 2020 Sep 4;6(36):eabb2313. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb2313. PMID: 32917612; PMCID: PMC7473673.

  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1400253

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction

  • https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/paleontology/extinction-over-time

From: Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services