Enjoyment is one of those consequences. One might still feel that something has been lost or wasted when a species becomes extinct, if only because humans can n

Enjoyment is one of those consequences. One might still feel that something has been lost or wasted when a species becomes extinct, if only because humans can no longer interact with them. This is aside from any more practical concerns of ecological health and unintended consequences. So, while I largely share this viewpoint, I'm disappointed that there aren't at least a few dinosaurs around to observe. OTOH, what would we have given up if our ancestors were competing with even a few dinosaurs? Notice, I'm not taking the position that nothing is lost when we change the environment. But, I do think that we should use the environment to further human goals, including the lesser goal of retaining some truly wild space for us to enjoy. In part this is a reaction to the casually anti-human stance of some people who say things like "the environment would be better off without humans." We're part of the environment. We wouldn't be better off without humans. Call me a "speciest", but for now, I see no reason why we shouldn't dominate other species (remaining aware of a sliding scale of intelligence and suffering), as long as it's not likely to be suicidal.