Download ESS Topic 4.3 - Conservation of Biodiversity

ESS Topic 4.3 - Conservation of Biodiversity
4.3.1 State the arguments for preserving species and habitats.
Why conserve biodiversity? The values of biodiversity can be classified as either direct values or indirect
values (see pp.119-120 in the IB ESS Course Companion):
• Direct values - can be (relatively) easily calculated
• goods harvested & destroyed for consumption (eating) or sale in a market
• generally physical commodities of some sort
• private goods - value accrues to the owner of the resource
• Examples:
• food sources (‘heirloom varieties’ of many crops, i.e. corn/maize)
• natural products (medicines, textiles, fertilizers, pesticides, etc)
• Indirect values - more difficult to calculate
• stabilize ecosystems (negative feedback cycles)
• provide benefits but are not generally harvested/destroyed/sold
• usually services or processes which benefit everyone
• public goods - value accrues to society instead of individuals
• Examples:
• ecosystem productivity (a.k.a. ecosystem services) i.e. soil aeration, pollination, fertilization,
carbon sequestration, oxygen production ,climate regulation, etc
• scientific or educational value
• biological control (another example of negative feedback)
• gene sources
• environmental monitors
• recreation and ecotourism
• human health - possible future medical applications
• rights of indigenous peoples
• intrinsic (ethical) value - biorights
4.3.2 Compare and contrast the role and activities of intergovernmental and non‑ governmental
organizations in preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.
There are 2 main approaches to conserving biodiversity around the world: conservation biology and
preservation biology.
• conservation biology - sustainable use and management of resources; humans are a part of the picture
and their needs are also taken into consideration
• preservation biology - excludes humans and human needs from conservation efforts; conservation
based on biorights
How conservation organizations work: For a comparison of the work of GO’s and NGO’s, see Table 6.1 at
the bottom of page 122 in your IB ESS Course Companion. It is important to understand how these agencies
use media, enforce laws, respond to the issues, and work within the political/diplomatic constraints imposed
by different governments around the world.
• government organizations (GO’s) • part or branch of a national, state, department, or local government
• ultimately responsible to the voter
• have the authority to prosecute violations of regulations within their jurisdiction
• examples: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Eaux et Forets (Water and Forests),
and other branches of local and national government agencies
• intergovernmental organizations (IGO’s) • generally a part of multi-national organizations, especially the United Nations
• most agreements are not legally binding under international law, but each signatory country is
responsible for legislating and regulating conservation efforts within their own territory
• the UN and other IGO’s
• Examples: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), CITES, IPCC (Intergovernment Panel on
Climate Change)
• non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) • work independently from governments to protect threatened species and areas
• frequently form partnerships with GO’s and IGO’s to more effectively reach their targeted goals
• Examples: WWF, Greenpeace, and too many others to list here. For a brief summary, visit this
Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_organizations
4.3.3 State and explain the criteria used to design protected areas.
Brad Kremer 2010 - 2011
[email protected]
ESS Topic 4.3 - Conservation of Biodiversity
Be familiar with the idea of island biogeography: “Two eminent ecologists, the late Robert MacArthur of
Princeton University and E. 0. Wilson of Harvard...proposed that the number of species on any island reflects
a balance between the rate at which new species colonize it and the rate at which populations of established
species become extinct.” (For a complete explanation, visit
http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Island_Biogeography.html)
Essentially, protected areas can be thought of as islands within the surrounding landscape. The success and
effectiveness of protected areas depends on several factors:
1. size - larger space allows for larger populations and gene pools, and a wider variety of species
2. shape - round is better than all other shapes because it reduces the edge effect
3. edge effects - less edge is better; edge creates differences in the structure of an ecosystem, called an
ecotone (an area where 2 habitats meet), which influences what may successfully live there.
4. corridors - provide safe passage between protected areas
5. proximity - if protected areas are close to other protected areas, they are more effective than isolated
islands
The above points are effectively outlined and explained in Figure 6.6 and on pages 128-129 of the IB ESS
Course Companion.
4.3.4 Evaluate the success of a named protected area.
Evaluate the success of these case studies from the IB ESS Course Companion, as well as at least one
local example from Tanzania. For each case study, be able to outline and discuss responses to the following
questions:
A. Which species is the area designed to protect?
B. Why is/are the species threatened?
C. How and why has the protected area been successful?
D. What are the weaknesses (and their causes) of the protected area?
E. Describe how the criteria used to design protected areas have influenced the success of each case
study.
Case Studies
1. Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
2. Sichuan Giant Panda sanctuaries, China
3. Sepilok Orang Utan Centre, Malaysia
4. Yosemite National park, USA
5. Ngorogoro Conservation Area, TZ
6. Selous Game Reserve, TZ
7. Serengeti National Park, TZ
4.3.5 Discuss and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the species-based approach to
conservation.
CITES - intergovernmental agreement designed to protect species threatened by international trade;
voluntary; each country is responsible for its own laws, territory, and enforcement
Strengths
good example of monitoring
species’ status
Weaknesses
if not enforced, no change in
species’ status results
reduces trade in animal parts
locally enforceable where the
poaching/trade may be
happening
Brad Kremer 2010 - 2011
Comments
isolates countries which are not
signed up or don’t enforce it
make trade more difficult
no international body has
authority to enforce on national
territory
[email protected]
ESS Topic 4.3 - Conservation of Biodiversity
Strengths
voluntary
Weaknesses
voluntary
Comments
if a country signs up to it, they
(theoretically) are motivated to
conserve species; however, since
it’s not obligatory, they don’t have
to enforce it if they have internal
reasons to flaunt it
has definitely reduced int’l trade
in ES
reduction in ivory trade has been
so successful in some places that
elephant populations have
recovered, prompting some
African governments to call for an
end to the ivory ban so that they
can sell the poached ivory to
raise money for other
conservation efforts. There are
legitimate arguments to be made
on both sides of this debate.
Captive Breeding and zoos
Strengths
Weaknesses
prevents total extinction of
species
animals lose natural instincts
high level of monitoring and
control (more than possible in the
wild)
can severely restrict/limit gene
pool
difficult to re-introduce to wild
serves as a living store of animal
DNA
Comments
1. animal has become dependent
on humans for survival
2. habitat may have been
destroyed or altered beyond
animals’ ability to adapt to it
3. may not be accepted into
social hierarchy of wild
populations
4.
DNA could be used to recreate
organism or develop
medicines or provide a source
of genes for bioengineering
Seed banks
Strengths
Weaknesses
preserves the genetic code of
various plant species
how reliable is storage over long
term?
insurance policy against
extinction
impossible to preserve every
species on Earth (feasibly)
Brad Kremer 2010 - 2011
Comments
[email protected]
ESS Topic 4.3 - Conservation of Biodiversity
Strengths
can interbreed/hybridize seeds
with heirloom varieties
Brad Kremer 2010 - 2011
Weaknesses
Comments
may make it possible to
bioengineer varieties resistant to
diseases which arise in the future
[email protected]