The Gray Wolf
What can we learn from a story of short-sighted leadership?
An early example of short-sighted leadership is when gray wolves were exterminated from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as they were predators and caused trouble for nearby ranchers’ herds. By 1926, gray wolves were completely eradicated. The removal directly caused an increase in the elk population, which devastated the ecosystem by disproportionately eating young trees and plants. This resulted in the demise of many trees, plants, birds and beavers turning the land into a barren forest. The glory of Yellowstone was nearly completely lost.
The reintroduction of wolves proves that by thinning the weak and sick animals, wolves create more resilient Elk herds. As Chris Wilmer’s, a wildlife ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, says, “Elk are not starving to death anymore.” One decision led to a complete decimation of one of the largest wilderness ecosystems in the world.(1) Nature has a way of finding balance, until humans intervene. Similarly, the overfishing of our oceans has thrown the ocean ecosystem out of balance. Simply put, if our oceans die, we die. The systemic issues of overfishing have the potential to kill the planet.(2) Exponential theory seeks to understand and explain the interconnected relationships between all these seemingly disparate systems to find conscious solutions that benefit everyone in the ecosystem.
What can we learn from this short-sighted leadership that we can apply to the future?
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Sources:
- Christine Peterson, “25 Years After Returning to Yellowstone, Wolves Have Helped Stabilize the Ecosystem.” National Geographic, (July 10, 2020) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/yellow- stone-wolves-reintroduction-helped-stabilize-ecosystem
- “Seaspiracy” directed by Ali Tabrizi. Film. (2021) NetFlix
