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We hear a lot about “wildlife-human conflict”. But most of it is really wildlife-livestock conflict. There seems to be no end to the species that must be wiped out for the sake of meat production. Like these poor moles I saw on a fence in the North York Moors National Park. 
Livestock farming demands something close to ecological cleansing. Any species deemed a threat must be excluded or eliminated. Badgers, foxes, ravens, golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, wild boar, lynx, even moles. All sacrificed on the altar of meat and dairy.
Several livestock farmers have responded by insisting that moles, alongside other species, MUST be killed to protect the health of their animals. In other words, they are making yet another argument for a plant-based diet.
Switching to a plant-based diet reduces the land area required to feed us by 76%. This means far more land for wildlife, ecosystems and carbon storage. More than any other shift, it could curtail the 6th great extinction, while securing our own survival. science.sciencemag.org/content/360/63…
Not only does a switch to a plant-based diet eliminate the need for grazing land (grazing causes vast displacement and persecution of wildlife, for remarkable little food output). It also reduces the need for arable land, as 36% of grain and pulses are grown to feed animals.
Because of the inefficiency and losses caused by passing grain and pulses through an animal, we use much less land when we eat these crops directly.
