Vincas sent me a BBC article on a group that wants to re-introduce megafauna to the plains of the Midwest and the southwest.[1] Interestingly, this is an idea that I have heard before, in the science fiction/fantasy novel Warrior.[2] Of course, in that series, the reintroduction is part of the back story, and there has been a nuclear winter between then and now. Which puts the fears of "investing all our megafauna hopes on one continent" into a proper context for you I think. The fears here are those who fear the costs of development will do irreparable damage to the natural world. Their fears are certainly realizable, especially while we and the rest of the developed world take the course of funding corruption instead of promoting true progress at the interpersonal level.[3] Still, I do not expect they will get much traction with their plan, people do not tend to much like large predators in their neighborhoods.
[1] BBC News. "Big game 'could roam US plains'" BBC
News (uk edition, online). 2005-08-18
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4160560.stm
[2]
Mcquinn,Donald E. Warrior Del Rey 1991-09-13. ISBN: 0345373480
[3] Schierer, Luke. "20050519-1439" Random Unfinished
Thoughts. 2005-05-19
http://www.schierer.org/luke/log/20050519-1439/20050519-1439