It is up to us to change the direction we are headed in. "The welfare of humanity relies on the health of the environment, as well as the well-being of other species. The time to act is now."
"It is a sad thing to think that nature speaks and that mankind does not listen." This remark, made in 1870 by the poet and novelist Victor Hugo, is even more relevant today. At a time when biodiversity -- the fragile web of life of which we are all a part -- threatens to disintegrate, we must not forget that we are, in many respects, the authors of our own misfortune.