(See part I.)
In part I, I nominated something good revealed about humans as we go about helping species at risk of extinction.
Now, something awful: our slavery to destruction.
The cause of much extiction is human. In the short-term, becasue we mess things up. We kill and eat all the dodos, for example. This in turn – possibly, it’s controversial – adversely affects a tree whose seeds were part of the dodo diet. But in the long-term view it’s even worse.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
(Romans 8:20f, esv)
Futility? Bondage to decay? Genesis 3, when the man rejects God:
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you“
Perhaps I can coin a phrase: Anthropogenic global decaying.
Overall, we have good reason to look at successful conservation with mixed emotions: every temporary and small human success is mocked by the lasting and huge human problem.