Post 3: The Extinction Game

Today, species are becoming extinct at an enormous rate. Most of them we don't even know about. Of the estimated 10 million species on Earth, one million are threatened with extinction. At least 10 species are becoming extinct every day. What does this mean for us and agriculture?

When will the tower collapse?

In front of you you see a tower of blocks, and now you are going to play The Extinction Game . Each block represents a species found in the cultural landscape of Eastern Norway. When you pull out a block, you eradicate that species. The game is over when the tower collapses. (You may have played Jenga before? This is the same game, but with a little twist.)

You play two rounds:

1 – First round you choose which bricks to draw.

Remember to put the blocks you pull out aside so you can count them later.
Enter the number of blocks drawn before the crash here .
Build the tower again.

2 – In the second round, you must draw the brick that the form shows.

Remember to put the blocks you pull out in front of you so you can count them.
Build the tower again so it is ready for the next group.
Enter the number of blocks drawn before the collapse in the form you have already opened.

Let the games begin!

The moss greenshoe is on the red list with the status Near Threatened. Photo: Kristian Hassel (https://www.artsdatabanken.no/Taxon/Buxbaumia%20viridis/104146)

Invisible consequences

In reality, we rarely plan for which species become extinct. We often know little about the role of species in the ecosystem , and which species would be catastrophic if they disappeared. Many of the species do important jobs – they contribute what are called ecosystem services.