How are human beings beneficial to the environment?

Human impact on environment is such a prominent topic in conservation, ecology, and many other areas of science. Humans play very few positive roles in ecosystems and our main contribution to ecosystems seems to be in the form of deforestation, pollution and overpopulation. Obviously, we cannot do much about the presence of humans in the environment, but we can learn to understand the effects of our presence.

When referring to animals, we mostly want to know what's their niche or purpose? I’m sure you hear it every year around the summer bank holiday- “what’s the point in wasps, how do they help the planet? They don’t pollinate like bees; we don’t need them!” And regardless of the fact it’s wrong (wasps do pollinate and are key in ecosystems to remove other pests such as greenfly and caterpillars [1]) it simply doesn’t work the other way round. If a wasp looked at a human and said “what’s the point in humans? Do they help the planet?” The answer would be easy-no. I reckon we are one of the only (if not the only) species to ever exist to not benefit or help sustain our planet. I don’t need to educate you on climate change and plastic in the ocean for you to know that humans are killing the planet. But why? Animals have respect for their environment, they know they have to raise kids on it and they have to ensure that their habitat is fit for that. Animals find niches which gives them a food resource utilised by few others and to ensure this food source remains in their possession, they sustain other animals' food sources, in a natural cycle. Why do humans not do the same? If humans cared about the next generation, we would take care of our environment to help sustain our species. However, the damage caused by humans has always been seen as a “future problem” - if animals had the opportunity to exploit the planet for the benefit of their selfish means without seeing an immediate effect, would they take it? You would say no because we are smarter than them, but when you look at the state of the planet, are we more effective than the animals at maintaining our environment? Humans are meant to be evolved, with the highest cognitive ability in the animal kingdom- so why don’t we think ahead to help prevent these things?

Some studies suggest that humans are hyper-keystone species meaning they drive complex chains of interaction and impact other keystone species in different habitats [2]. A keystone species is a species that, if removed, would have a significant impact on the ecosystem it lives in. And it is true that without us, many changes would occur within the world and ecosystems would change- but not for the worst. For example, species such as the peppered moth evolved as a result of human presence (their wing colour became darker to camouflage better as smoke from factories during the industrial revolution polluted and changed the colour of the trees they live in [3]) could return to their natural colour. The COVID-19 lockdown has been a perfect opportunity to highlight how much the world thrives without constant human presence and interaction, with a 17% decrease in CO2 emissions and a 500% decrease in sewage in rivers such as the Ganga, increasing its fitness for wildlife [4]. So yes, it’s easy to see that the removal of humans would cause a massive change in the entire planet’s ecosystem, however, over time the animals and plants would evolve and the planet would function. One question I constantly ask myself is: if humans became extinct, would another species evolve to fill our empty niche, or not due to it just not being beneficial in the long run? Humans wouldn’t survive without bees who pollinate 70% of the crop species we eat [5]. We are dependent on every species in the world yet none of them entirely depend on us (companion/domestic animals are an exception but we did make them that way). So why don’t we take care of the species that benefit us to give ourselves a place in the natural cycle of life? A rhino would never consider killing the oxpeckers that eat bugs and parasites of its skin, so why don’t we show the same respect for bees?

Even if you take a step back and think- well hey, humans are pretty good at ensuring reproduction. Actually, in terms of producing ‘good quality offspring’, we’re pretty bad. Our mate selection policies are almost non-existent compared to the animal kingdom. Our choice of mate is purely selfish and we never consider things such as what ‘adaptive’ genes our children will inherit and if they will go on to reproduce also. In animals, mate selection is so complex it has given rise to theories such as the ‘sexy son hypothesis’- the idea an animal mate with another to ensure they produce a sexy son to increase his chance of reproduction later on in life as pass on the parents’ genes. Sexual selection also exists whereby some males even develop ‘maladaptive’ sexually dimorphic traits-such as large antlers in deer and extravagant tails in peacocks- to impress females. Compared to humans, mate selection in animals is very complex and requires a much more intense selection process.

Humans aren’t a stupid species though; humans are meant to be the ‘peak of evolution’ so let’s start acting like it! There is no planet B- this world functions amazingly on its own, the ecosystems are so self-sustaining you would not believe it. Humans need to either become a part of the ecosystem or we will be destroyed as a result. We cannot keep going the way we are and not expect some kind of fall out. All animal and plant species will survive without us, but we would be nothing without them; we must learn to respect them and love them and not abuse them. Do your bit, please.