Natural selection these days can be more than a little unnatural, especially in Japan, which has a curious relationship with nature.
The country has maintained an enviable proportion of natural forest cover -- by importing the wood it needs from tropical forests, largely in Southeast Asia.
But the money to be made from building contracts means it has concreted vast lengths of the rivers and streams running through its forests. Consequently, hundreds of plant and animal species are now rare and endangered because of such habitat destruction.