What if a]everyone became vegan or b] human beings were wiped out by a pandemic....

Another thread made me ponder this. Something to take my mind off worrying about the corona virus. And make me worry even more!!

Ummmm ?

If everyone became vegan we'd only see farm animals in zoos because there'd be no need for them elsewhere. We'd go to safari parks to drive through majestic herds of cattle and sheep. Doesn't give the same tingle of excitement as majestic herds of wildebeest, does it?

If humans disappeared all together then nature would simply take over again. Our cities would crack and crumble and eventually disappear under the greenery. Within a few hundred years it would be as if we'd never existed. Then evolution would start the process all over again and one animal (probably an ape of some kind) would evolve to a higher level and the road to civilisation would start all over again.

I think you're right vampirequeen.

B) ants would take over the world. They are trying in our garden.

Farm animals aren’t “natural” species , they have been interbred over many years from their wild ancestors- yes there are wild versions of cows, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs etc. The overbred versions would die out as they are only here to be exploited by humans. We’d have to look after the wildlife better, although if there were no humans there would only be wildlife.

Is it right to let a species or variation of a species die out simply because we don't need it anymore?

I keep saying this: apparently >99% of species that have ever lived are extinct. Extinction is part of Nature.

I'm not keen for farmed meat to go extinct yet though 😉

Thousands of species have been wiped out by human activity.

Yes. But gazillions have become extinct for other reasons too.

If we were all wiped out, I’ve often wondered how quickly vegetation (soon followed by animal life) would take over. For a start, our garden would quickly be a forest of sycamore trees!

Not long ago a petrol station near here closed. In what seemed a very short time, the very large concrete forecourt was carpeted with tall green growth - the sort of weeds that seem able to grow just about anywhere, but it’s astonishing how quickly they’ll flourish even in concrete - and presumably gradually break it up completely.

There’s a care home on that site now.

If the boggy brae where I live is anything to by, witzend, I think the take over would be astonishingly quick, far fewer years than most people would expect. And, yes, sycamores would feature in the initial phase as well as ash, birch, holly, sallow....

This could become forest in a very short time, mainly hazel trees as the squirrels bury them all over the garden.

We might have more mighty oaks, the squirrels in my area are always burying them all over the the garden including my pots.

Possibly brambles might take over. I have constant trouble stopping them from taking over my back garden.

I think it would be a great idea for all humans to be wiped off the planet- please let all animals out of cages first and leave all gates and doors open on the way out so that all the remaining animals can survive as best as they can. The environment would revert to forest; I was told that on a nature course.

But the caged animals would die very quickly wouldn't they. And we've manipulated nature so much; eg sycamore trees aren't indigenous [sp] are they, but they take over everything. Domestic cats would wipe out ground dwelling birds.

And, if everyone became vegan they'd still have to farm livestock to feed their pets; if pets were allowed, that is.

vegansrock … It's really frightening to think that is true.

The world would be covered in Ivy, JKW and Himalayan Balsam!

If we humans were wiped out by a pandemic what would happen to the environment as things we left behind, such as nuclear power stations, slowly disintegrated?
I think a lot of other life on the planet would also die out because of us, even after we were gone.

If you want to see how quickly nature takes over , go to 3000 acre Knepp Estate in west Sussex or look at website - in 10 years gone from arabl/grassland to real feel of wildness

Yes Knepp Estate not far from us.

do you visit often , whitewavemark2 ? I was there last year staying at caravan site nearby - went every am and pm for a week . The freedom of it !!!