As @loarie details every month, iNaturalist is increasingly being used for conservation decisions. Re-observing long-lost species. Making decisions to preserve their habitat. Etc.
We had lot of “resets” on Earth, where an “impact event” caused nearly all species to be wiped out. Today, the “impact event” is human activity.
What is the monetary value of saving a species? It’s a philosophical question, but it has real-world implications — both for naturalists who care about the species, and for developers who might want to spend billions building a high-speed rail line or a solar power plant, who might be prevented from doing that if it is the sole habitat for an endangered species.