Transcript File
Dynamic Planet- Sub unit 3
Battle for the Biosphere
3.2b Management measures are
being used to conserve the
biosphere and make human use
of it more sustainable?
To know how different groups of people, at
different scales are trying to sustain the
rainforests
To understand what sustainability is
What is sustainability?
• Maintaining something for future use. In doing so you must
consider the environment, the local people, others on the planet
and the local economic needs
What will happen if you
do not address one of
the legs?
Local people
Managing biosphere at a global scale
• RAMSAR- The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) -- called
the "Ramsar Convention" -- is an intergovernmental treaty that
embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the
ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance
and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the
wetlands in their territories.
• Unlike the other global environmental conventions, Ramsar is not
affiliated with the United Nations system of Multilateral
Environmental Agreements, but it works very closely with the other
MEAs and is a full partner among the "biodiversity-related cluster"
of treaties and agreements.
The Convention today
Number of contracted countries; 159
Sites designated for the
List of wetlands of International
Importance- : 1847
Total surface area of designated sites
(hectares): 181,365,679
• CITES- (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement
between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international
trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten
their survival.
• Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth
billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant
and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live
animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife products derived
from them, including food products, exotic leather goods,
wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and
medicines.
• Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high
and the trade in them, together with other factors, such as
habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their populations and
even bringing some species close to extinction. Many wildlife
species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an
agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important
in order to safeguard these resources for the future.
• Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between
countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation
to safeguard species from exploitation.
• CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it
accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of
animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur
coats or dried herbs.
• CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a
meeting of members of The World Conservation Union. The convention
text was finally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80
countries in Washington DC., USA, on 3-3- 1973, on 1-7-1975 CITES
entered in force.
• CITES is an international agreement to which countries adhere
voluntarily. countries that have agreed to be bound by the Convention
('joined' CITES) are known as Parties.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they
have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of
national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each
Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that
CITES is implemented at the national level.
• There are 175 countries signed up to CITES
• Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 28,000 species of plants are
protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international
trade
Managing the biosphere (ecosystems) at a global
scale-
• Sub heading- RAMSAR and CITES
• What is RAMSAR?, why is it unlike most global conventions?
What does it want its’ member states to do? How many members
does it have?
• What is CITES? What is it’s aim? Why do we need a convention
like CITES? How long has it been in force? How many species of
plants and animals does it protect today?
(UNESCO) World Heritage Sites
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural
and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to
humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted
by UNESCO in 1972.
UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to:
encourage countries to sign the its Convention and ensure protection of natural
and cultural heritage;
encourage States to nominate sites within their national territory for the World
Heritage List;
encourage States to establish management plan and reporting systems on state
of conservation of their sites;
help States safeguard Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and
training;
provides emergency assistance for sites in immediate danger;
support States awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation;
encourage participation of the locals in preserving cultural and natural heritage;
encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural
and natural heritage.
World Heritage Sites
An example of a World Heritage SiteGalapagos Islands
• Read the article and produce a fact file on the
Galapagos Islands
• Comment on• Location
• Reasons for being on list
• How being World Heritage site benefits conservation
of the islands
Small scale sustainable management in
Costa Rica
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/rainforestsustainability-costa-rica/3097.html
• Make notes during the video about how they are
making this area of rainforest sustainable
Sustaining the world’s coral reefs- global
and local scale!!!
• Sustaining coral can be done at a variety of scales• Seeing as it is a marine ecosystem, it needs global
control, as well as local control over individual areas
of coral
• Read the article and highlight the ways people and
groups are going about managing coral reefs in a
sustainable way
Homework
• Revise for unit mini test next lesson-