The Megaherbivore Theory: How Ancient Giants Shaped Our World and Why Their Absence Matters

 

Prof U.Zeller with Prof. M.F.Driver 

Professor Dr. Ulrich Zeller is a retired Professor at the Humboldt University (HU), Berlin, Germany. He holds degrees in Medical and Biological Sciences of The Universities of Goettingen and Berlin, and was a fellow of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Professor Zeller was Director of the Zoological Museum in Berlin and was the head of the Division of Systematic Zoology at HU. He is member of the editorial board of various scientific journals and has a record of more than 300 publications in well recognized scientific journals. His research interests are the organismic and evolutionary biology of vertebrates esp. mammals, biodiversity under changing environments and human use mainly in central Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia.

Professor U. Zeller gave a comprehensive overview of biodiversity, land use, and ecological conflicts across different global regions, particularly focusing on Africa and Europe. He defined biodiversity as the total variety of life on Earth, distinguishing between natural and artificial (man-made) forms resulting from domestication. A core theme is the growing human-wildlife conflict exacerbated by land use activities, which has led to the extinction of megafauna in Europe, contrasting with Africa where these large animals persist and compete with introduced domesticated species like cattle, often leading to overgrazing and desertification. The professor then presents potential solutions, such as game farming and the reintroduction of megafauna, and discusses the concept of rainforestation as a successful ecological recovery method in tropical areas like the Philippines, concluding that academic teaching is essential for implementing these biodiversity management solutions.

The core message of the megaherbivore theory is profound: the largest animals are not just inhabitants of an ecosystem, but are powerful architects of it. Their presence or absence can fundamentally change the land itself, turning forest into grassland, or grassland into desert. Understanding the functional roles of natural biodiversity and the disruptive impacts of artificial biodiversity is therefore essential for preserving the planet and ensuring a sustainable future. 

More information is available in this review paper. 

Biodiversity, land use and ecosystem services—An organismic and comparative approach to different geographical regions,\. Ulrich Zeller, Nicole Starik, Thomas Göttert *
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences,  Germany