A new scientific report says humans are eliminating about 1 percent of all animal species each year. The census of wildlife says that more than one in four species have disappeared in the past 35 years. Pollution, the expansion of farming and cities, and over-hunting are said to have caused the most rapid decline since the extinction of the dinosaurs. WWF warns that climate change can add increasingly to the wildlife woes over the next three decades.

Extinction numbers are easy to find. Environmental organizations are more than eager to present them in order to train us into obedience. It is much more of a challenge to find how many formerly unknown species that have been discovered in the past decades. There are numerous reports on the Internet about new species being discovered all over the world, but so far I have not seen any compilation of the results.

The golden-mantled tree kangaroo was just one of dozens of species discovered in late 2005 by a team of Indonesian, Australian, and US scientists in New Guinea. In 2007, scientists find 24 new species in Surinam, including a fluorescent purple toad and 12 kinds of dung beetles. Dozens of fish, shrimp and coral species, including two new types of a shark that walks on its fins, have been discovered in waters off New Guinea in the South Pacific.

A chance discovery by a teenage spelunker has revealed the existence of eight new animal species in an underground cave in Israel, including the first terrestrial animal with no known relative found only in a cave. WWF scientists have announced the discovery of 11 new animal and plant species in a remote area in central Vietnam. More than 50 new species of animals and plants that have never been seen before have been discovered in a “Lost World” on the island of Borneo in just 18 months.

Species go extinct all the time. New species are constantly being discovered. How can we tell how many percent fall victim to human domination of the planet?

Also, in the discussion on loss of species, there is a general confusion on what happens locally and globally. If a specific species disappear on a local scene, it does not mean it is also extinct on a worldwide scale. In the Netherlands for example, many (local) species have disappeared, due to urbanization, industrialization and road building. But net, there is a gain. Due to the building of the Donau Rhine channel, over the last 10 years, some four hundred (foreign) species from the Balkan, have settled in the country (according to Dr Arthur Rorsch).

No doubt, habitats are changing under the influence of human activity. But extinction?

Many environmentalists seem to long back to the times long gone, when nature ruled and humans lived in awe of everything. They argue that nature has an intrinsic value and that all created things are equal and should be equally respected.

But the truth is that over 99 percent of all species that have ever existed on Earth have perished because of nonhuman factors. Nature doesn’t care about biodiversity. It us, humans, who value biodiversity because it reflects the state of the world we currently live in. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Without us, the beauty of nature would not exist.

Our environment includes all of our surroundings. We arrange these surroundings to improve the environment and thus make it more useful to ourselves. Our resources expand over time as a result of our increasing knowledge.

Human life has never been easy. In the Middle Ages, we lived in constant fear. Starved, filthy and wearing the same clothes day in and day out, we dwelled in dirt plagued by insects. Using cow dung as cooking fuel could hardly be considered healthy.

The modern 18th century man lived in cold, overcrowded houses and threw garbage out on the street to rotten. Rats were spreading diseases. The plague and cholera were killing thousands. At the end of the 18th century, as agriculture became more efficient, feeding the family got easier. But the diet was still meager and unhealthy. Due to lack of good storage facilities, food often turned sour or rotten.

The 19th century was a dream in comparison. But still, food options were limited and fruits only available in summer time. Food poisoning was common. Children died or became invalids following illnesses now preventable by vaccination. We didn’t know what was going on in the world. In order to listen to some music, we had to go to a concert – if we could afford it.

In the rich modern world, we have eradicated extreme poverty and hunger. Everyone has access to a rich and varied diet thanks to mechanized agriculture, fertilizers, pesticides, genetic engineering, better storage facilities and advanced logistics.

We have plumbing and garbage trucks. Home appliances help save valuable time and allow us more leisure. Material richness does not necessarily create happiness, but if we are to be happy at all, we need a longer and healthier life with plenty of choices. We don’t serve nature, nature serves us.