Cloning time?

In the Book of Genesis 1:26, Adam is given "dominionControl. over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth". According to the Old Testament, humans should be at the top of the food chain. Yet to animals such as giant hyenas, bears, lions, eagles, snakes and even giant kangaroos, until recently we were just prey.

How the tables have turned. Almost all of the species that preyed upon us are now endangered - or extinct, as in the case of the giant predatory kangaroo. Our ancestors would be surprised to discover that our main battle now is not with conquering wild animals, but with saving them.

Overwhelmingly, the news suggests that we have been unsuccessful in these efforts. Scientists have been warning that a sixth mass extinction eventSince 1500, Earth could have lost up to 13% of its two million known species. The past five major species die-off events were caused by natural environment changes. is underway, caused by overconsumption and overpopulation by humans. Billions of local and regional populations of both common and rare species have been lost in recent years.

However, a new report commissioned by Rewilding Europe examining 50 European animal species has found signs that many previously endangered wildlife species are thriving thanks to conservation efforts. Included in the number of these successful species are grey wolves, Eurasian beavers, grey seals, European bison, white-tailed eagles and brown bears.

Conservationist efforts are wide-ranging and innovative. Some species have been protected by banning pesticidesPoisons used for destroying insects and plants. , educating locals on living alongside them, putting legal restrictions on hunting and through reintroduction efforts. Beavers, for example, were reintroduced to UK habitats in 2002, 400 years after the last British beaver was killed. They are now one of conservationists' biggest success stories.

However, some scientists are doubtful about the pace or success rate of rewilding. Some are pushing for more extreme measures. Among the most controversial is cloning - both to save endangered species and resurrectBring back to life. extinct ones.

Many are familiar with the story of Dolly, a 7-month-old sheep cloned from her mother in 1997. Now, scientists have done it again: Maya the Arctic wolf, created by a pet-cloning company and born in Beijing, China, is just 100 days old. Other researchers have cloned the endangered black-footed ferret and African wildcats.

Not everybody is a fan of cloning. It is a process riddled with ethical problems. Less than 5% of efforts succeed, and in the past, some clones had short lives filled with suffering.¹ Cloning also does not address the root problems causing extinction - human habitat destruction and hunting. Efforts to resurrect extinct animals through cloning could yield more benefits, but most scientists still regard it as impossible.

Conservation is one of the most pressing questions of our time. It concerns not only ecology and biodiversity, some argue, but also our health and wellbeing. Research has shown that just a two hour "dose" of nature every week could be as beneficial as five pieces of fruit and veg a day, or 150 minutes of weekly exercise. Now, a fierce argument is brewing about just how far we should go to achieve it.

Yes: Cloning animals is unpredictable and unethical. There are few success stories, and the risk is far higher than the gain. Halting extinction is urgent, and cloning technology is moving at a snail's pace.

No: We need to investigate every possible avenue to protect our wildlife, and this includes cloning. It is a way to protect wildlife without having to change our habits. And if we can perfect cloning methods for living species, we can find ways to resurrect extinct ones too.

Or... Above all, we need to prioritise protecting our planet and our wildlife as quickly as possible. If cloning technology can be developed in order to do that, we can put aside some ethical problems for the greater good. If not, we need to rely on rewilding.