A few human generations ago, grasslands were abundant across much of the South; today there are rare. Driving through the region today, one mostly se… - Reed F. Noss

... We cannot get big grants to do field work anymore. ... Will the next generation of conservation biologists be nothing but a bunch of computer nerds with no firsthand knowledge of natural history? ... The naturalists are dying off and have few heirs.

Nature no longer entertains us when conserving it becomes inconvenient.

Among the common changes in forests over the past two centuries are loss of old forests, simplification of forest structure, decreasing size of forest patches, increasing isolation of patches, disruption of natural fire regimes, and increased road building, all of which have had negative effects on native biodiversity.