Posthuman Blues

THE ECOLOGY OF FEAR: WOLVES GONE, WESTERN ECOSYSTEMS SUFFER

"The near extinction of the gray wolf across most of the West in the past century now appears to have removed the natural element of 'fear' from these ecosystems. It has triggered a cascade of ecological effects on everything from elk populations to beaver, birds, fish, and even stream systems - and helped lead directly to the collapsing health of aspen and some other tree species and vegetation."