.
After reading The Condor's Shadow, it is apparent that Wilcove intended to show that, in most instances, human intervention is the main cause of destruction of an ecosystem. A prime example is the forest fires of the Greater Yellowstone Region. Initially many believed the best course of action was to suppress the fires, but later changed their minds when they saw how futile their attempts were. Eventually they realized that fires were not a problem at all and began to focus on other dilemmas facing the region. Another example Wilcove uses is the situation regarding the Colorado River. Again, human intervention is the main cause. Fishery managers had introduced countless new types of species, some from foreign nations and some from other parts of the United States, in order to provide more diversity to the river. However, Wilcove responds to this weak attempt to help the environment by saying "The cumulative effect of these introductions on native fishes has been nothing less than disastrous." (120) Third, Wilcove explains the situation involving the wildfires of American prairies. People believed that the best approach would be to extinguish the blazes immediately in order to salvage all the fauna and flora possible. In reality, the best method would have been to allow the fires to burn, because they have a unique ability to regenerate themselves naturally. Because humans thought they knew more than they actually did, the prairies became scorched and desolate. Had the fires been left alone, they surely would have been better off. Through these examples, Wilcove wants the reader to know that humans are the cause of many problems facing our ecosystems. In the previous citations, it is quite obvious that the reason humans failed to help the environments is a lack of knowledge. In each case, they thought they knew what was best for the ecosystem, when they really did not.