Transcript Chapter 18 Conservation of Biodiversity

Chapter 18
Conservation of Biodiversity
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Case Study
Modern Conservation Legacies
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The 6th Mass Extinction
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Extinction- when the last
member of a species dies.
Losing approximately
50,000 species per year.
0.5% of the world’s species
each year.
Occurring over a relatively
short period of time.
Caused by humans!!
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Genetic Diversity
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Scientists want to conserve genetic
diversity.
Populations with low genetic
diversity are not well suited to
surviving environmental change.
Populations with low genetic
diversity are prone to inbreeding
depression.
 More susceptible to mutations.
Posted 10-20-15: A story of a rehabilitated
 Happens naturally
Florida panther that was released at
Why is high genetic diversity good? Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park on
January 7, 2015. Researchers fit this panther
with a GPS tracking collar, and for the past
What did scientist do with the
seven months we've been collecting data on its
movements. The panther has collected
Florida panther population?
approximately 1,000 locations while radio
collared, and from January to mid-June he's
traveled over 800 miles across the central
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Florida landscape!
Preserving Genetic Diversity in
Plants
• The majority of livestock come from 7 species of mammals
and 4 species of birds.
• Plant variety decreased greatly….why?
• International storage facility - Svalbard Global Seed Vault –
located in Northern Norway.
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5 Categories of Endangerment
used by the IUCN
1. Data deficient – no reliable data to access status
2. Extinct- no known species exist today
3. Threatened- species with a high risk of extinction in
the future
4. Near-threatened- species that are very likely to
become threatened in the future
5. Least concern- species are widespread and abundant
What are at least 4 challenges of evaluating the status
of different species?
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- 10 million identified species on Earth:
- 50,000 have been assessed
- 1/3 are threatened with extinction
- 1/4 of all plant species are threatened
- Of 24 different ecosystem functions (instrumental and intrinsic
values), 15 were found to be in decline
What is a biodiversity hotspot?
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Causes of biodiversity
decline
HIPCO
 H- Habitat Loss
 I- Invasive Species
 P- Pollution
 C- Climate Change
 O- Overharvested
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1. Habitat Loss
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For most species this is the greatest cause of decline and
extinction.
Most habitat loss is due to human development
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- 70% of woodland/shrubland ecosystem that borders the
Mediterranean Sea has been lost.
- 50% of grassland habitats lost globally
- 30% of desert habitats lost globally
- Decline in coastal wetland in the eastern U.S. and Gulf of
Mexico.
- Decrease in living coral (provide habitat for thousands of other
species) in the Caribbean Sea.
- Environmental problems associated with habitat loss:
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2. Invasive Species a.k.a alien species
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Native species – live in their historical range.
Alien species (exotic species)- live outside their
historical range.
Invasive species- when alien species spread rapidly
across large areas.
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Have no natural enemies
Accidental (stow away such as rats, fungi, and protists)
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Intentionally (exotic plants and pets)
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Such as:
Such as:
More examples - Kudzu Vine, Zebra Mussel, Silver
Carp
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Kudzu Vine
Zebra Mussel
Asian Silver Carp
Alien Species Video
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Exotic/Alien Species
# of alien species from the Nordic countries of
Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark
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3. Pollution
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Threats to biodiversity can come from:
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toxic contaminants such as pesticides
heavy metals
acids
oil spills
endocrine disruptors
release of nutrients (cause algal blooms and dead zones)
thermal pollution
2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil explode
Video
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4. Climate Change
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The concern is how climate change will affect
temperature and precipitation around the world, and
how this will impact biodiversity.
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5. Overharvesting
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When individuals of a species are removed at a rate faster than
the population can replace them.
Hunting and fishing are the most direct human influences .
Examples:
- dodo bird
- American bison
- passenger pigeon
- giant ground sloths
- mammoths
- American camels
- Moa bird
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5. Overharvesting
• During the past century, regulations have been
passed to prevent the overharvesting of plants and
animals.
• U.S. – state and federal regulations restrict hunting
and fishing of game animals to particular times of
the year.
– Limit the number of animals that can be harvested.
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Lacey Act (Early 1900)
One of the earliest laws in the U.S. to control the
trade of wildlife.
 It forbids the interstate shipping of all illegally
harvested plants and animals (primarily birds and
mammals).
 Illegal wood trade video
 Animation
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CITES (1973)
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Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Control the international trade of threatened
plants and animals.
Today, CITES is an international agreement
between 175 countries of the world.
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Red List
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The IUCN keeps a list of threatened species, known as
the red list.
Each country has its own way to monitor and regulate
the import and export of animals on the list.
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U.S. – oversight is conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Illegal wildlife trade is worth between 5-20 billion
annually?
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Purposes?
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Conservation of Biodiversity
• Two general approaches: single species or
ecosystem
1. Single-species approach
- provide additional habitat
- reduce the presence of a contaminate
- captured and brought into captivity
- California condor, bald eagle
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Conservation Legislation
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Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)- prohibits the
killing of all marine mammals in the U.S. and
prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal
body parts.
Was passed in response to declining populations of
polar bears, sea otters, manatees and California sea
lions
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Endangered Species Act
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Endangered Species Act (1973) - it authorizes the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which
species can be listed as threatened or endangered
and prohibits the harming of these species.
Trading these species is also illegal.
Also authorizes the government to purchase habitat
that is critical to the species along with a recovery
plans to increase the population.
Species taken off the list include: the bald eagle,
American alligator, gray wolf.
Why does these Act cause controversy?
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Convention on Biological
Diversity Treaty (1992)
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Nations came together and made a treaty to protect
biodiversity.
The treaty had three objectives:
1. conserve biodiversity
2. sustainably use biodiversity
3. equitably share the benefits that emerge from
the commercial use of genetic resources such as
pharmaceutical drugs.
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Convention on Biological Diversity
Treat (1992)
• In 2002, had established goals to be met by 2010.
• Goals were not met
• Trends identified from 2002 to 2010.
– Species at risk of extinction have moved closer to it.
– ¼ of all plant species are still threatened.
– Natural habitats are becoming smaller.
– Genetic diversity of crops and livestock still declining.
– Widespread loss of ecosystem function.
– Causes of biodiversity loss are the same or increasing.
– Ecological footprint of humans is increasing.
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Conservation of Biodiversity
2. The second is known as
ecosystem approach.
• The amount of
protected land has
increased dramatically
worldwide since 1960.
• 3 factors must be taken
into consideration:
– Size
– Shape
– Connectedness to other
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protected areas
Size, Shape and Connectedness
of Protected Areas
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Must consider how close to another area they should
be, how large the area is, and the amount of edge
habitat the area contains.
Theory of Island Biogeography:
There is always debate about the best approach to
picking a protected area - SLOSS
Edge habitat- the area where two different
communities come together, typically forming an
abrupt transition. Ex. A grassy field meeting a
forest.
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Biosphere Reserves
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Protected areas
consisting of zones that
vary in the amount of
permissible human
impact.
Protecting biodiversity
without excluding all
human activity.
Currently 564 biosphere
reserves worldwide.
Big Bend National Park
in Texas.
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Working Toward Sustainability
Swapping Debt for Nature
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