Transcript How Can We Help Save Biodiversity

How Can We Help Save
Biodiversity?
Conservation of
Endangered Species
Endangered Species Top Ten
List!
According to the World Wildlife
Federation, the following are the
ten most endangered species on
earth….
#10 – The mako shark
#9 – Green-cheeked parrot
# 8 – Big leaf mahogany
# 7 – Hawksbill Turtle
# 6 – Alligator Snapping Turtle
# 5 - Goldenseal
# 4 – Beluga sturgeon
# 3 - Tiger
# 2 – Giant panda
# 1 The black rhinoceros
Conservation Biology
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What is it?
What are the concepts that guide it?
 Large habitats are more effective at safeguarding
species that several habitat fragments
 Large areas of habitat typically have the potential
to support greater species richness.
 It is better if areas of habitat for a given species
are located close together rather than far apart.
Conservation Biology
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Areas that are inaccessible to humans are
better than human accessible areas.
It is more effective and more economical
to preserve intact ecosystems in which
many species live than to work on
preserving individual species one at a time.
Higher priority is given to preserving areas
that are more biologically diverse than
others. (Remember the Hot Spots?)
Three Techniques of
Conservation Biology
Ecosystem Approach
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In situ conservation
 Protecting habitats
 Restoring damaged or destroyed habitats
 Preserve balanced populations of species in
their native habitat
 Establish legally protected wilderness areas
and wildlife reserves
 Eliminate or reduce the populations of
nonative species
Three Techniques of
Conservation Biology
Species Approach
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Identify endangered species and give them
legal protection
Preserve and manage crucial habitats
Ex situ conservation
 Zoos, aquarai, botanical gardens, seed
banks
Reintroducing endangered species to nature
Three Techniques of
Conservation Biology
Wildlife Management Approach
 Manages game species by:
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Using laws to regulate hunting
Establishing harvest quotas
Developing population management plans
Using international treaties to protect
migrating game species such as waterfowl
Wildlife Refuges
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Teddy Roosevelt established Pelican
Island off Florida’s Atlantic coast as the
1st wildlife refuge to protect the brown
pelican (1903)
Now have 508 refuges, 85% are in
Alaska
¾ are wetlands for protection of
migratory waterfowl
Bioinformatics
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Organizing and storing useful biological
information about wild species
Provides computer tools to find,
visualize, analyze, and communicate
biological information
Laws, Acts, and Organizations
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CITIES
Lacey Act
Endangered Species Act
Wild Bird Conservation Act
Magnuson Fisheries Management and
Conservation Act
International Protection
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CITIES: Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (1975)
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Signed by 136 countries and list about 700
species that cannot be commercially traded
as live specimens or wildlife products
because they are endangered or
threatened.
United States
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Lacey Act (1900)
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Prohibits transporting live or dead wild
animals or their parts across state borders
without a federal permit
Endangered Species Act (1973)
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Endangered or threatened species cannot
be hunted, killed, collected or injured in
the United States
Rules of the Endangered
Species Act
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National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS)
identifies and list endangered and threatened
ocean species.
U.S. fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
identifies and list all other endangered and
threatened species.
Adding or removing a species from the list
must be based on biology, not economic or
political reasons
Rules of the Endangered
Species Act
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Forbids federal agencies to carry out,
fund, or authorize projects that would
either jeopardize, destroy or modify the
critical habitat.
Fines and jail sentences can be imposed
on private lands to ensure protection of
the habitats of endangered species.
Rules of the Endangered
Species Act
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There are over 1100 species on the list –
60% are plants and 40 % are animals. Hawaii
leads this list (298+). Each year about 85
species are added to the list
Requires all commercial shipments of wildlife
and wildlife products enter or leave the
country through one of nine designated ports.
Wild Bird Conservation Act
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Imposed a moratorium on importing
rare bird species
Magnuson Fisheries Management
and Conservation Act
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Gives the federal government authority
to manage fisheries in the zone
between 3 and 200 miles off the U.S.
shore. There is no limit on the number
of U.S. fishing vessels, but quotas can
be imposed on the quantity of fish
taken.
Other Solutions
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Debt-For-Nature Swap Page 670 (old
book
Biosphere reserves Page 633 (old
book)
Reintroduction of endangered species