The destruction of species through climate change, energy development, urban sprawl, or other factors affects the bottom line. Period.

Just this week, a study released by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research found that climate change could result in the loss of habitat for many native plants, which would eventually threaten their very existence. The study found specifically that over the next 50 years more than 60% of wild peanut species and 12% of wild potato species could become extinct due to climate change. Why should we care about wild peanuts and potatoes? Because farmers often rely on the genes from wild plants to help them breed stronger and more disease-resistant crops. The scenario that is expected to play out with wild peanuts and wild potatoes and their domesticated counterparts may very well extend to many of the major crops being harvested in America and around the world. Why should you care? Because the extinction of these wild plants may mean less hardy crops, leading to a lower yield, leading to higher prices for consumers. Bottom line.

Despite our best efforts to motivate corporate America to care about our native plants and critters, and to sway public opinion with pictures of cute, fuzzy animals and stories of their habitat destruction, we have always run up against the obstacles of convenience and commerce. As long as it continues to be easy and lucrative to destroy native habitats and run roughshod over delicate native species, or at least not directly detrimental to our collective pocketbooks, we will have to fight an uphill battle in both the boardroom and the court of public opinion. But now, with an onslaught of climate change studies shaking the very ground that commerce stands on, our chances of protecting imperiled native plants and critters have grown exponentially.  While we'll accept any reason for protecting our native wildlife, we'd like to think that it's not solely based on the financial impact of extinction, but rather because it’s the right thing to do.