ABSTRACT
Human populations have increased exponentially over the last three centuries and have placed exponentially increasing demands on nature, resulting in degraded ecosystems, extirpated biota and species extinctions. As human populations continue to increase, demands on energy sources, fresh water, arable land and natural sources of protein are expected to increase apace as human-caused atmospheric pollution additionally stresses biological systems, forced primarily through climate change. Organisms that depend on wilderness conditions for survival, that are adapted to a limited range of habitats or foods, or that are otherwise restricted to regions transformed by urbanization and agriculture have been and will continue to be the most vulnerable (Ceballos and Brown, 1995; Collar et al, 1997; Czech et al, 2000; Hendee and Mattson, 2002), with population fragmentation exacerbating vulnerabilities and foreshadowing extirpation (Debinski and Holt, 2000; Saunders et al, 1991).
