Download Lesson 14: Biodiversity and Habitat Preservation

Lesson 14: Biodiversity and
Habitat Preservation
Amy Duray
EVPP 490 003
March 29, 2010
What is Biodiversity?
The Convention on Biological Diversity defines
biodiversity as including all plants, animals,
microorganisms, the ecosystems of which they
are part, and the diversity within species,
between species, and of ecosystems (CBD,
1993).
Biodiversity at Risk
• Rate of extinctions today 1,000 to 10,000
times higher than earlier points in history –
100 times higher than geologic baseline rate
• Since 1800, dramatic increases in extinction
rates
• Anthropogenic versus natural causes
Understanding Biodiversity
• Key Terms:
– Biodiversity Hotspots
– Natural Capital
• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
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Provisioning Services (food, fuel, fiber)
Supporting Services (nutrient cycling, soil creation)
Regulating Services (pollination, flood control)
Cultural Services (spiritual, aesthetic benefits,
identity)
• Biodiversity and Human Values
• Biodiversity at the Genetic Level
Biodiversity and the Poor
• Livelihood Security
• Agriculture and biodiversity
– Intensification
– Extensification
• Energy
• Human health
– Wild foods
– Disease
• Culture – non-material well-being
Biodiversity in SE Asia
Drivers of Biodiversity Loss
•Population growth
•Economics (Affluence and Poverty)
•Globalization
•Poorly conceived government policies
•Market forces that undervalue biodiversity
•Scientific and technological changes
Pressures
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Habitat conversion
Invasive alien species
Overexploitation
Climate Change
Pollution
State and Trends
• Declining almost uniformly throughout Asia
– Likely to persist due to anthropogenic pressures
– A study of Southeast Asia suggests that the region
could lose 13–42% of regional populations of all
species by 2100 (Sodhi, 2008).
Impacts
(1) Ecosystem Services -- services that people depend upon on a daily basis
provided by the environment. (See Table 5.2 – page 172 GEO-4)
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water purification and filtration
plants and animals provide food and materials for shelter
medicines are derived from natural sources
regulation of weather patterns
pollination of plants and flowers
breakdown of waste products
(2) Species Interaction: There is a complex relationship between different
species that we often do not fully understand. This relationship means
that loss of one species could lead to the loss of other species that depend
upon it.
(3) Loss of total genetic diversity
(4) Opening of new niches which can be invaded by invasive species or
diseases.
Responses
• Global agreements: Convention on Biological Diversity,
CITES, Ramsar, World Heritage Convention
• Increasing protections for species and ecosystems
• Increasing public awareness
• National and Regional policies to protect biodiversity
and the environment
• Market mechanisms to create incentives to protect
biodiversity
• Research to identify species, impacts of activities, and
synergies between species
China
• Primary Driver: Population Growth
• Pressures:
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Overconsumption of plants and animals
Habitat destruction
Overexploitation
Invasive species
Pollution
Overuse of Lands
• State and Trends: 27% of China’s species are currently threatened or
endangered.
• Responses:
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CBD Party and National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan
2,349 protected zones, 27 wetlands of importance
Reforestation efforts
Licensing for fishing in Marine areas
Japan
• Pressures:
– Land conversion to urban/industrial uses
– Overfishing and bi-catch
• State-and-Trends: At least 90,000 species inhabit Japan and its ocean
areas. It is thought that around 30% of reptile and amphibian species,
20% of mammal, brackish and freshwater fish, 20 % of vascular plants
and 10% of Japan’s birds are highly threatened (CBD, 2009)
• Responses:
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Japan is party to the CBD
Restore 2,100 ha of lost march and tideland.
Promotes environmentally conscious agriculture
Employing methods to reduce accidental catches of seabirds
Establishment of a Forest Tree Breeding Center to preserve 32,000 forest
tree genetic samples
– Japan’s Natural Parks Law: 14.2% of Japan’s total land is protected.
South Korea
• Primary Driver: Economic development
• Pressures:
– Overexploitation
– Land Conversion
– Pollution
• State-and-Trends: 221 threatened species including 22
mammals, 61 birds, and 18 fish.
• Responses:
– CBD Party – National policies banning trade, exportation
and production using endangered species
– In 2006, enacted the National Trust Act on Cultural
Heritage and Natural Environment Assets
Mongolia
• Drivers and Pressures: desertification, climate change,
overexploitation, poor forestry and logging practices,
pollution, over grazing, poaching, unsustainable
harvests, loss of habitat, mining and cultivation (CBD,
2009).
• State-and-Trends: Currently, there are sixty-seven
species of threatened vertebrates.
• Responses:
– Since 1990, 8% of the country has been placed in
protected status.
– As a party to the CBD, Mongolia intends to establish a
protected area system, implement population control
policies, and improve research, education and monitoring.
Southeast Asia Biodiversity (1 of 4)
• Drivers:
– Population growth and poverty
– Global economic demand
• Pressures:
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Deforestation
Agricultural land conversion
Overexploitation (Bushmeat and trade animals)
Peat swamp conversion
Climate change, nitrogen deposition, invasive species,
and atmospheric CO2 change (can exacerbate other
pressures)
Southeast Asian Biodiversity (2 of 4)
• State-and-trends: This region is home to one of the highest
concentrations of endemic species in the world (Sodhi et al., 2004).
– Three plant species and eight animal species have been listed as
extinct by the IUCN.
– “living dead” species – those that still exist but are doomed for
extinction because they have been isolated due to habitat
fragmentation.
– Wildlife is being extracted from forests at six times the sustainable
rate (Sodhi et al., 2004).
– Over 60% of the world’s tropical peat forests are found in this region.
They are home to many diverse endemic species. Loss of these
ecosystems are endangering many species including orangutans.
– Oil palm covers over 13 million ha, primarily in SE Asia (Bruhl et al.,
2009).
Southeast Asian Biodiversity (3 of 4)
• Impacts:
– Reduced ecosystem services such as seed dispersal,
nutrient cycling and pollination – this could lead to
reduced forest regeneration in disturbed areas (Sodhi,
T. Lee, Koh, & Brook, 2009)..
– Increase in catastrophic forest fires.
– Increasing human vulnerability to natural disasters Asian tsunami’s impact was probably worse due to
loss of mangroves.
– Decreased carbon sequestration and increasing CO2
releases from peat fires.
Southeast Asian Biodiversity (4 of 4)
• Responses:
– Regional: ASEAN Center for Biodiversity
– National examples:
• Malaysia: committed at 1992 Rio Summit to maintain
50% of forest cover
• Indonesia: Community-based forestry efforts
• Philippines: Verde Island sanctuary
– Local:
• Public awareness
• Biodiversity education in public schools
Conclusion
• Appropriate solutions?