Planned extinction: Is it ethical to deliberately wipe out a species?

[Teeqoz]

curl-6 said:

Teeqoz said:

Is the guinea worm of any importance to any ecosystem? Does it fill any useful/neccesary role for nature?

Guinea Worms are exclusively a parasite of humans; if they do not infect a person, they cannot reproduce, and they die out.

Since their eggs and larvae live in fresh water, it's probable they serve as a food source for small aquatic predators, though one would think such predators would be able to find plenty of other smaller organisms to feed on.

While every species interacts with its local ecosystem, I doubt the disappearance of a single species of parasitic worm is going to unravel the entire freshwater ecology of the few countries where it survives. 

Of course, I'm no expert.

Could they even be called sentient beings?