Memo 11

Summary

In the Swedish wolf culling article was primarily about Sweden’s government recently gave permission to allow hunting for wolves. Hunters now in Sweden are allowed to kill 27 wolves or 10% of the wolf population. The reason for the government’s decision to bring down the wolves population is due to killing of farmers sheep that has caused significant damage to the agriculture of Sweden.  Conservation groups however believe by hunting down these wolves will possibly lead to extinction in the next couple of decades. The article also mentions how hunters are now following protocol and are beginning to kill more sheep than allowed. Mikael Karlson, the president of the conservation group states if the government continues to allow this slaughtering, the wolf population will soon be “critically endangered”

In the second article “Lawn People” Robbins talks about how there is a community out there who have people who are obsessively concerned about their lawn. So concerned that they apply chemicals to their lawns that are harmful to the environment and the water supply of the community, yet they apply these chemicals to keep their lawns beautiful. The point that Robbins points out is that these people are well educated and cause stress to themselves knowing that they are causing harm to the environment as well as the community, however still can’t stop themselves from applying these chemicals.

Compare and Contrast

I guess these two articles are similar in the way that they both have a conflict concerning the ecosystem. In the Swedish wolf culling article the conflict was that by the Swedish government allowing the hunting of the wolves might possibly lead to them becoming extinct in future years. In the Lawn People article the ecosystem was in jeopardy by these individuals who were applying these harmful chemicals in their lawn that ultimately streams towards the community’s water supply. Both articles have some sort of conflict involving their own respectable ecosystems.  The contrast I see in both articles is one is more of an governmental issue because, Sweden’s government are the ones responsible for the slaughtering of the wolves, where as in the Robins article it’s more of a conflict due to those who reside in that community damaging the environment by the chemicals that are being inserted in their lawns.

Reaction

I think in the first article regarding the slaughtering of wolves is not a major concerned for me in my opinion. I think if there is empirical evidence that states that the wolves’ population is declining past the quota, then the Sweden’s government could easily pass new legislation that bands the hunting of wolves. I do agree with Karlson, of how the government better have strict policy how to control the number of hunted wolves so that these wolves don’t become endangered, but overall I don’t see that much wolf sustainability concerns.