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The only difference is that we have self-awareness.
We have immense power to change the enivornment and with that power comes the analytical ability to decide if the things we're doing are a good idea and THINK about the consequences of our actions.
The universe may be cold and indifferent (especially in regard to whether the human race exists or not) but that's no reason for us to CHOOSE to be indifferent. To calmly view extinction as natural and inevitable would also be to calmly view our OWN extinction as natural and inevitable. If somebody were trying to kill you, would you fight them off - Why? If someone was being raped in the street, would you call the police - Why?
So why CHOOSE to preserve other species besides our own? Well, in general, biological diversity is a pretty damn good thing - without diversity within our own species, the genome would collapse in a mess of mistakes. Without OTHER species, namely the bacteria in our stomachs, we could not live. Exploiting and nurturing the genetic diversity in nature opens up the possibility of finding new answers to scientific problems - directly beneficial to our own species, to which we are not indifferent.
I do agree though that any attempts to recreate communities of already extinct species would be folly; especially with our current lack of knowledge.
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