Avoiding mass extinction: Basic and applied challenges

Preserving the earth's diversity of species requires that conservation biology turn much of its attention to reconciliation ecology, which is the science of sharing our habitats with wild things. Although many reconciliation projects are already working, we can extend our efforts with modern natural history research focused on species we aim to open our landscapes to. Some of this research will utilize what we already know about the principles of community ecology and niche organization and some will teach us more about those subjects. Perhaps most important will be a deeper understanding of the coevolution of niche apportionment. However, lacking perfect understanding is no reason to delay. The ecologist's motto ought to be, "Stop whining and try something".