J.M.

“We humans live our lives out in a brief instant of ecological time. We cannot return ancient oaks to our landscapes during that instant, but we can - indeed, we must - start the process. [...] Our winner-take-all extraction-based economies, coupled with our unchecked population expansion, have triggered the sixth great extinction event of planet earth's 4-billion-year history. Over a million species are headed for extinction in next few years unless we take immediate action (Sartore 2019). We have no choice but to prevent such losses, not because we're nice guys, but because it is those species that run the ecosystems that support us. And by "we," I mean every single human earth-dweller, not just the surprisingly few people who already recognize the necessity of sustainable earth stewardship. Although their impending demise is bad enough, it is not the loss of rare and endangered species that we should fear; their populations are no longer large enough to have major impacts on our ecosystems. Rather, it is the loss of the common kingpins like oaks that we must prevent as if our well-being depends on them. For it does. (pages 155-156)”
― Douglas W. Tallamy, The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees