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Welcome! Please read the board!. Monarchs! Are these worth protecting?

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Presentation on theme: "Welcome! Please read the board!. Monarchs! Are these worth protecting?"— Presentation transcript:

1 Welcome! Please read the board!

2 Monarchs!

3 Are these worth protecting?

4 Why should we protect biodiversity? (all the species on the planet)

5 5 Reasons to protect biodiversity 1. Medicinal 2. Commercial 3. Agricultural 4. Ecological 5. Ethical/Aesthetic

6 Reason #1:Medicinal Rosy Periwinkle: Hodgkin’s disease and lymphocytic leukemia If a species disappears, it could have been an important cure for a serious disease! 40% of modern medicines come from plants/animals/fungi 95% of known plant species have never been tested for medicinal value

7 Vampire Bat saliva Used to create an anticoagulant to prevent clotting during surgery

8 Pacific Yew – Taxol cancer medicine

9 Reason #2: Commercial – We should protect species because we can make money from them. Harvesting: Shrimp industry Harvesting: Recreational hunting

10 Commercial: Ecotourism – spending money to visit an ecosystem or a species Visiting Nature PreservesWhale Watching

11 Ecotourism Austin’s bat colony Snorkling

12 Ecotourism Mountain bikingWhitewater Rafting

13 Biomimicry - engineering designs based on natural systems

14 Biomimicry – engineering designs based on natural systems Whale fins – better wind turbines Underwater plants – floating energy harvesters

15 Reason #3: Agricultural – we should protect species because they could strengthen our crops Of 80,000 known edible plants on the planet, we depend on 20 species to provide 90% of global food supply. Corn, rice and wheat are 50% alone! So... What if a disease strikes one of these important crops?

16 Relying too heavily on one variety of a species can be risky 1841-1851 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food- ark/potato-variety

17

18 Maybe these could be new food sources Winged Bean of New GuineaKatemfe berry

19 Agricultural – We should protect species because they might be pollinating our food.pollinating

20 Reason #4: Ecological – We should protect species because they all play a role in their ecosystem. Food webs Symbiotic relationships Indicator species US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that losing one plant can trigger the loss of 30 other species Simba says it’s all connected!

21 Ecological Ecosystem services! Air purification Water filtration Climate control (absorbing CO2) Gene bank Soil building

22 Reason #5: Aesthetics/Recreation/Spiritual/Moral – We should protect species because it’s the right thing to do and a diverse world is more interesting! We are ONE species 1.5 million KNOWN species More are discovered every year Biodiversity enriches our lives!

23 “Endangered means there’s still time!” Threatened Endangered Extinct

24 Which reasons apply to our friend the Monarch?


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