Chapter 18 Conservation of Biodiversity 1

Case Study Modern Conservation Legacies 2

The 6 th Mass Extinction 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 !! 3

Genetic Diversity 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. Happens naturally Why is high genetic diversity good? What did scientist do with the Florida panther population? Posted : A story of a rehabilitated Florida panther that was released at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park on January 7, Researchers fit this panther with a GPS tracking collar, and for the past seven months we've been collecting data on its movements. The panther has collected approximately 1,000 locations while radio collared, and from January to mid-June he's traveled over 800 miles across the central Florida landscape! 4

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. 5

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? 6

- 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? 7

Causes of biodiversity decline HIPCO H- Habitat Loss I- Invasive Species P- Pollution C- Climate Change O- Overharvested 8

1. Habitat Loss For most species this is the greatest cause of decline and extinction. Most habitat loss is due to human development 9

- 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: 10

2. Invasive Species a.k.a alien species 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. Have no natural enemies Accidental (stow away such as rats, fungi, and protists) Such as: Intentionally (exotic plants and pets) Such as: More examples - Kudzu Vine, Zebra Mussel, Silver Carp 11

Alien Species Video Kudzu Vine Asian Silver Carp Zebra Mussel 12

Exotic/Alien Species # of alien species from the Nordic countries of Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark 13

3. Pollution Threats to biodiversity can come from: 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 14

4. Climate Change The concern is how climate change will affect temperature and precipitation around the world, and how this will impact biodiversity. 15

5. Overharvesting 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 16

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. 17

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 18

CITES (1973) 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. 19

Red List 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. U.S. – oversight is conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Illegal wildlife trade is worth between 5-20 billion annually? Purposes? 20

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 21

Conservation Legislation 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 22

Endangered Species Act 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? 23

Convention on Biological Diversity Treaty (1992) 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. 24

Convention on Biological Diversity Treat (1992) In 2002, had established goals to be met by Goals were not met Trends identified from 2002 to – 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. 25

Conservation of Biodiversity 2. The second is known as ecosystem approach. The amount of protected land has increased dramatically worldwide since factors must be taken into consideration: – Size – Shape – Connectedness to other protected areas 26

Size, Shape and Connectedness of Protected Areas 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. 27

Biosphere Reserves 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. 28

Working Toward Sustainability Swapping Debt for Nature 29