Marching for Science Stands Up for Truth
After a career defending endangered species like the lobelia, now I’m defending science itself
After a three-hour hike in the rain, with only two muddy backwards slides, I have reached the summit of the Koolau Mountains and my study site for a rare, bright red lobelia plant found only at the tops of these Hawaiian peaks.
There are probably a little more than 100 of the plants in existence, making this lobelia highly endangered. But its hold on survival is less tenuous than that of the 200-plus Hawaiian plants with fewer than 50 remaining individuals or the 13 species that have only a single individual left.
Even so, this is a good moment — not only has the rain stopped, but my population of plants is doing well. Introduced wild pigs have been rooting around the edges, but have not (yet) reached the steeper slopes that harbor the lobelias I study.
These beautiful, rare plants will live another day — benefiting the ecosystem where they live and enriching our planet. What more could a scientist ask?
It turns out scientists around the country, backed into a corner, are asking for more. We are asking Congress and the Trump administration to stop attacking the very foundations of science.
The scene described above occurred decades ago when I was a young field biologist. It was typical of my research and that of other scientists working hard around the nation to understand and protect endangered species and the ecosystems they are a part of. As the former field supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Islands Office, my job was to implement the Endangered Species Act and help save some 500 plants and animals on the brink of extinction.
Science plays a major role in conservation by helping land managers understand what endangered species need to survive, how to restore large ecosystems, and how to include human behaviors and desires in preservation efforts.
Over the years, I have watched politicians and colleagues alike ignore research, fail to do basic analyses, or short-cut environmental reviews. The result is always the same: Things go wrong, the environment suffers and taxpayers get stuck with the bill — and there is, of course, the ensuing public humiliation.
Today, though, I am deeply troubled by a political leadership that blatantly disregards the truth, spawns the notion of “alternative facts,” and attempts to dictate “which science” should inform policy.
Science seeks truth. If truth is considered negotiable, then science becomes unnecessary or an actual enemy. To be sure, future generations will look back at this misguided embrace of denial and wonder what was in our water (besides lead).
From a policy perspective, when truth is ephemeral and reality changes with political convenience, direction is lost and what’s working or needs fixing becomes unclear. That is cause for great alarm.
Truth is essential, and science has long determined our truths — along with creating life-saving drugs and medical procedures, saving bald eagles and humpback whales from extinction, and providing technology to run the modern world. To turn away from it would surely not be in America’s best interests. And I know it is not in the best interests of endangered species.
That’s why I march.
Loyal Mehrhoff is endangered species recovery director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
