[karl_gluck]

Conservation is tricky. One can usually make the argument that things will probably fine without <insert species> or that dumping a little more <insert environmental toxin> won't cause immediate disaster.

But have you ever played pick-up sticks? That's basically what we're doing with an environment we don't understand as well as we might want to believe. Sure, your particular possum might not be important. In all fairness, it probably isn't. But remove enough sticks, one at a time...

There's no seed bank for animal species. If they're gone, they're just gone.

[maxerickson]

Always remember, some scientists are mad. We've managed to gestate quite a few different animals in the wombs of different species:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interspecific_pregnancy

Which of course is no panacea, but it's increasingly likely that genetic samples will be used to sustain species.

[ceejayoz]

That'll work for things like insects, but there's a good chance an elephant raised without its tribe won't be the same sort of creature.

[maxerickson]

Yeah, it's probably not the right topic to just make a short comment about.