The Epistemological Implications of Extinction: Why Conservation Is Also About Knowledge

When species vanish, the loss goes far beyond biodiversity. Each extinction erases unique knowledge embedded in ecosystems—insights science has yet to uncover, wisdom held in traditional cultures, and connections that deepen our sense of kinship with the living world. My article, published in Ambio, explores extinction as an epistemological crisis: a profound unravelling of how we know, relate, and find meaning. Drawing from ecological science, cultural studies, and philosophy, it reveals how the disappearance of life forms diminishes not only our environment but also the richness of human understanding and belonging. Conservation, then, is more than protecting nature—it is safeguarding the very fabric of knowledge that shapes our identities and futures.

📚 Three Realms of Loss

The paper maps out three core dimensions where extinction erodes epistemological richness:

1. Science

When a species disappears, so too does the potential for future scientific discovery. The extinction of the gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus spp.) in the mid-1980s is a striking example. These frogs, once found only in a small rainforest region of Queensland, had a unique reproductive system in which females incubated their young in their stomachs. This remarkable adaptation effectively switched off stomach acid production, offering unprecedented research possibilities for understanding and treating conditions such as acid reflux and certain cancers. With their loss, these opportunities vanished forever, underscoring how extinction can close the door on knowledge before it is even fully understood.

2. Community

Extinction also severs the relationships that communities form with other species—bonds that can be aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual. The Kaua‘i ‘ō‘ō (Moho braccatus), a songbird endemic to Hawaii, was declared extinct in 2023. Known for its haunting, flute-like call, it was once an integral part of the soundscape and cultural identity of Kaua‘i. Its silence represents not only the loss of a species but the disappearance of a shared heritage and the severing of interspecies companionship that once enriched human experience.

3. Metaphysics

For many cultures, nature is imbued with wonder and sacred meaning, and particular species or ecosystems hold deep spiritual significance. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, for example, is venerated by Indigenous custodians, whose traditions see it as part of a living, storied seascape. As the reef’s biodiversity declines under climate stress, the erosion is not only ecological but also cultural and spiritual, diminishing sources of wonder, reverence, and existential orientation that help define belonging in the world. What happens to meaning, wonder, and reverence when entire species—and their songs, colours, and roles—vanish?

Extinction, then, is not just about the removal of organisms from ecosystems—it is also about the thinning of the fabric that connects science, culture, and spirituality.

😔 Extinction as Grief—and as Knowing

The article frames grief not merely as an emotional reaction but as an epistemic mode—a way of knowing-through-feeling. Ecological grief, or “ecogrief,” arises when people register the disappearance of species as a rupture in the web of relationships that make up the living world. For scientists, Indigenous elders, artists, and theologians alike, mourning becomes a shared language for acknowledging what is being lost and for affirming its significance.

This grief is rooted in the recognition that each vanished species takes with it a storehouse of knowledge—scientific, cultural, and spiritual—that can never be recovered. The feeling is not abstract: it is linked to quieter forests, fewer birdsongs, and the fading of once-familiar companions in nature. In Indigenous contexts, extinction can sever sacred relationships with specific species, landscapes, and waters, disrupting ancestral obligations and ceremonies.

The paper also explores how such mourning can deepen moral and ecological awareness. Grieving for extinct life can compel us to look more closely at what remains, to recognise the intrinsic value of each species, and to resist reducing biodiversity to its instrumental uses. In this way, ecogrief carries within it the seeds of ecological responsibility—inviting us to protect what is still here, not only for utility but because of its irreplaceable place in the “communion of life.”

🌍 Why This Matters

As I write in the article, “the disappearance of species erases unique genetic, cultural, and metaphysical resources and challenges humans to seek wisdom—sapere aude—in the face of irreversible and inestimable loss.”

Biodiversity loss is often framed as an ecological or economic problem. But it’s also an epistemological emergency. When we lose species, we lose ways of knowing the world—and ourselves.

I hope my paper contributes to broader interdisciplinary conversations on:

• Conservation ethics
• Indigenous knowledge systems
• The role of spirituality and metaphysics in biodiversity discourse
• How to respond meaningfully to grief and loss in the Anthropocene

📖 The article is freely available (Open Access) in Ambio:

👉 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02230-9

If the ideas resonate with you, I’d welcome reflections, responses, or shared experiences. Feel free to comment or share the article in your own networks.

🗣 Let’s Continue the Conversation

Are you working at the intersection of knowledge, ecology, or spirituality?

How are you engaging with extinction in your research, teaching, or community?

How do we resist the erosion of wisdom—before it disappears with the species themselves?

I’d love to hear how these themes connect with your own work or experiences.

For broader context, explore the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the IPBES Global Assessment Report, and the WWF Living Planet Report, all of which provide authoritative overviews of biodiversity loss and extinction trends that frame the issues discussed in this article.