Transcript Chapter 15 – Humans, conservation and the future

Chapter 15 – Humans,
conservation and the future
Lesson Objectives:
To outline the reasons for the
conservation
To discuss the consequences
of global climate change on
the biodiversity
To explain the benefits of
maintaining biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity, which is short
for biological diversity, is
the term used to describe
the whole variety of life on
Earth (first used by Wilson
in 1986).
‘the variety of habitats, communities and species in an area, and the
genetic diversity within populations’
We still have not documented/discovered all living
organisms on Earth
At the moment ~1.5 million species have been described
Estimates of total number of species range from 2 to
100 million … but we don’t really know!
Outline the reasons for the conservation of animal and
plant species
Economic reasons
Money … creating new drugs from
plants found in ‘at risk’ habitats/areas
Ecological reasons
Ethical reasons
A UN summit meeting in 2002
received information that human
activities are responsible for a
huge loss of species in the recent
past – is this a good thing?
What impact will a loss of a
particular species have on a
habitat/ecosystem?
Aesthetic reasons
Being able to enjoy the
world around us
Discuss the consequences of global climate change on the
biodiversity of plants and animals, with reference to
changing patterns of agriculture and spread of disease
The mean global climate is changing …
… why is this?
What is happening to the British
climate and does it matter really?
The 20th century was a time of accelerating global change:
4 “spikes” of global change
• the human population spike
• the consumption spike
• the carbon dioxide/global temperature spike
• the extinction spike
time
Human consumption spike
1.28 billion cattle occupy nearly 24 percent of earth’s
landmass.
They weight more than the entire human population.
Bovine population density
• Forest converted to pasture or production of cattle feed.
• Desertification of marginal rangelands in semi-arid and arid regions.
• Production of greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, nitrous oxide).
• Decreased water quality through runoff from fertilized fields and feed lots.
• Introduction of invasive species.
The atmospheric CO2 spike
1.
2.
3.
1850: Shift from wood
burning to fossil fuel
burning
5
1900: First cars
appear
4
3
1980’s: scientists
suspect link between
CO2 emissions and
global warming
2
1
4.
1997: Kyoto protocol
5.
2001: Bush withdraws
US support of Kyoto
agreement
Etheridge et al. (1998)
Antarctic ice core analysis
The global temperature spike
IPCC 2007
In a study published in the November 3 2006 issue of the journal,
Science, an international group of ecologists and economists show that
the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean’s ability to
produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants, and rebound from
stresses such as over fishing and climate change.
Loss of seafood
species is faster in
low-diversity
regions, as
compared with highdiversity regions.
Explain the benefits for agriculture of maintaining the
biodiversity of animal and plant species
New alleles from wild species introduced into agricultural
crops/animals (which generally have low variation)
producing:
-‘better’ varieties more suited to a particular habitat
-breeding in more desired characteristics
-resistance to a new disease/pest
IUCN Red List
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources
Annually publishes a ‘Red List’ of species threatened
with extinction
www.iucnredlist.org
Eg: orang-utans
The Red List contains a high
proportion of vertebrates,
more green plants than
protoctists and no
prokaryotes – why do you
think that this is?
PLENARY – exam question
PLENARY – exam question
Conservation matters
Lesson Objectives:
To describe different
conservation methods
To discuss the importance of
international cooperation in
species conservation
To discuss the use of
environmental impact
assessments
Describe the conservation of endangered plant and animal
species, both in situ and ex situ, with reference to the
advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches
Oryx – an example of how people have
collaborated successfully across the
world to prevent its extinction
Read about this success story on p. 238
– what issues did the people involved
have to overcome?
-Maintaining biodiversity – through movement of individuals or use of IVF
-Some species may not breed successfully in captivity
-Making a safe habitat for the Oryx to be returned to
-Sometimes it is difficult to recreate/maintain the original habitat
Describe the conservation of endangered plant and animal
species, both in situ and ex situ, with reference to the
advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches
In situ – In the place where the organism normally lives
Ex situ – Away from a place where the organism normally
lives
Advantages
In situ
Ex situ
Disadvantages
Discuss the role of botanic gardens in the ex situ
conservation of rare plant species or plant species extinct
in the wild, with reference to seed banks
Discuss the role of botanic gardens in the ex situ
conservation of rare plant species or plant species extinct
in the wild, with reference to seed banks
Discuss the importance of international co-operation in
species conservation with reference to The Convention in
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the
Rio Convention on Biodiversity
Is international cooperation important in the
conservation of a species?
Why/why not?
CITES makes decisions about which species in the world
are endangered and how trade in these species/products
from these species should be limited
Appendix I – most endangered – international trade
prohibited
Appendix II – not threatened with extinction now but
trade needs monitoring to ensure that they don’t become
at risk. Trade allowed with an export permit
Appendix III – regulated international trade – permits
are needed
Who has signed up for
CITES?
Discuss the importance of international co-operation in
species conservation with reference to The Convention in
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the
Rio Convention on Biodiversity
Earth Summit – 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – led to a
Convention on Biological Diversity
Developing strategies to maintain biodiversity across the world
and the sustainable use of Earth’s resources
From this there are National and Local Biodiversity Plans for each
of the countries involved
Eg: SSSI – Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Eg: Encouraging industries to create and maintain
‘wild’ areas
Eg: New housing developments are required to
submit an Environmental Impact Assessment
Discuss the significance of environmental impact
assessments (including biodiversity estimates) for local
authority planning decisions
Environmental Impact Assessments
Investigating the likely effect of a
new development on local species
within and around the area
Completed by environmental
consultants – they investigate what
species are found in the area and
identify any species that are
protected
If the survey finds that there may be
harm done, the developer must put
measures in place to prevent this
Do you think that
these assessments
are a good or a bad
thing?
Why/why not?
PLENARY – exam question
PLENARY – exam question
PLENARY – exam question