For example, the great whales that sit at the pinnacle of marine food webs are linked to some of the most fundamental processes that shape conditions in our world. Their interactions with plants, fungi and microbes sustain the conditions on which we, along with all other life, depend. The fact is, though, that our society and economy are embedded in a natural system that is maintained by the activities of animals, and without them, we would not be here.Īnimals are vital to the functioning of the biosphere in innumerable ways. Fewer would immediately consider the ways in which our entire civilisation rests on animals. Others might think of the less tangible, but also very real, value they place on their relationships with companion animals, especially pets such as cats and dogs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, the price of dogs became a popular talking point. A sked to consider the value of animals, many people’s first thought would be about money.
