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I think there’s an analogy that applies to this land use issue that really spells out the benefits we’re missing out on rn. I’ve heard of the concept of “Lost Einsteins” when talking about issues primarily focused on human exploitation - how many enslaved people or people needlessly killed or traumatized lost the ability to do something truly great? They could’ve had an uncanny knack for things like math, science, the arts - but their deeply unfortunate circumstances prevented them from ever realizing their potential, and because of that, we all suffer in a way, by living in a world without their potential. It seems to me you could almost make a case for this land use issue here too. How many “Lost Yellowstones” or “Lost Amazons” are we losing from not rewilding our land into a lush, beautiful landscape, and instead leaving it as barren pasture for cattle or monocultured crop feed?

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