Intro

Introduction Puffins are creatures that live in northern and cold environments They are birds that have a fairly narrow niche They are currently endangered Their numbers were dropping fast

Introduction Puffins have low numbers because they were previously hunted for their eggs, meat and feathers They were a valuable resource, but they were over hunted almost to extinction

Introduction Once their numbers were low, much of their territory was over taken by predators These predators pushed the puffins almost to extinction

Introduction Without the puffins, the islands had a large number of predatory gulls and dramatically dipped in biodiversity Species on the island started to disappear These missing species adversely affected the island

Introduction In 1973, a biologist named Steven Kress started “Project Puffin” His conservation group removed predators and reintroduced puffins one specific island They started by introducing four pairs of puffins

Introduction Every year they introduced more puffins to the island In 2005 they have over 76 pairs of mating puffins on the island These puffins helped return the island to their natural state

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX8xy9YZw-Y

Introduction to Biodiversity

Biological Wealth Even if we are a person who lives in a major city, we need this biological wealth We need interacting microbes to keep our soil fertile We need diverse plant life to maintain our oxygen levels We need diverse animal life to maintain our food supply

Two Kinds of Value The Passenger Pigeon was a species that lived in the united states It used to form flocks that were so large they would darken the sky in many areas of the country It was the most numerous bird in the United States

Two Kinds of Value In the 19th century humans hunted them to extinction They were reduced from millions to hundreds in a matter of a few years Finally they were only found in zoos

Two Kinds of Value http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFpaVfFIMFQ

Two Kinds of Value Species hold value to both humans and the environment There are two main types of value Instrumental Value Intrinsic Value

Instrumental Value Many organisms have a positive affect on the world around them They are part of the food web and healthy ecosystems If an organism has a benefit to another form of species it is said to have instrumental value

Instrumental Value Many species of plants and animals have instrumental value to humans This is because humans tend to use or eat parts of an organism Without these organisms there would be no ecosystem capital

Intrinsic Value Sometimes organisms have little or no value to other organisms than themselves These organisms and organisms that have value to others all possess value to themselves An organism that has value for its own sake is said to have intrinsic value

Intrinsic Value While some organisms have a very small instrumental value, they all have an intrinsic value This intrinsic value is the root of many debates in animal rights With animals rights people often debate the intrinsic value of organisms

Biodiversity Remember biodiversity is defined as the amount of different species that live in a particular ecosystem This can be helped or hurt by the actions of humans It is important to understand how we can affect biodiversity

Biodiversity Several species that are watched by the government are open for hunting during the year These species are closely watched and regulated by the government Their numbers are hunted at a sustainable level Hunters open up new niches for other organisms in an environment

Biodiversity Hunting often does more good than harm for the environment Animals are hunted at a sustainable level Biodiversity is increased in an ecosystem Many hunters are members of groups that try to preserve areas of land so they may hunt on them

Biodiversity There are several animals that are well suited to suburban life These animals are protected from hunters because they live in close proximity to humans This means that their numbers have increased as suburbs have become more abundant in recent years

Biodiversity Without natural predators in the suburbs these animals often grow to large populations They start to take over the niches of other organisms and reduce biodiversity Their large populations causes them to have interactions with humans Their interactions cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage a year

Biodiversity There are some very serious problems that are involved with backyard animals They have become roadway hazards Many animals are becoming a nuisance Without predators they are becoming overpopulated

Biodiversity Dangerous animal encounters with humans are on the rise Disease has increased Animal feces are starting to pile up

Backyard Animals http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-2-2000/the-deer-hunted http://www.howcast.com/videos/100020-How-To-Survive-a-Bear-Attack

Biodiversity

Value of Wild Species New wild species are often helpful because there is a real need for products from the ecosystem Many new products can be synthesized, grown and developed from new species Medicines, new crops, new genes, new pesticides and more have yet to be discovered

Value of Wild Species Earlier we defined ecosystem capital Ecosystem capital is the sum of the wealth for human enterprises provided by natural systems This is a multi million dollar industry in the world

Value of Wild Species Many of the aspects of ecosystem capital require a wide and diverse range of species This includes plants, animals and microbes These species are wildly valuable to the management of natural systems

Value of Wild Species Currently we have identified and described around 2 million species on the planet That includes plants, animals, fungi and microscopic organisms Scientists estimate that here are between 5 and 30 million species on the planet

Value of Wild Species These species form the wealth that we harvest from natural systems Biological wealth is the ecosystem capital that sustains human activity and economy in the world