Download Introduction to Conservation Ecology

Protecting Endangered Species
Conservation Biology
• Many of the problems
that face our
environment are the
consequences of human
enterprises
• Interference by humans is
the worlds largest threat
to wild species
• It is our scientific, political
and moral obligation to
help some of these
species that we have
harmed
Conservation Biology
• Conservation biology is
the goal driven branch
of biology that centers
around the changes
happening to our planet
from a biotic and an
abiotic point of view
• Many conservation
ecologists focus on the
conservation of wild
species
Conservation Biology
• Understanding how to
conserve species can be a
difficult endeavor
• Identifying,
understanding and acting
on a species can be a
laborious process
• Unfortunately there are
not as many people or
funds trying to save the
planet as there are trying
to exploit it
Black Footed Ferret
• There is an organism
called the black footed
ferret
• This ferret was once
seen throughout the
plains through the US,
Canada and Mexico
• This organism was
thought to have
numbered in the
millions
Black Footed Ferret
• The black footed ferret
are skilled hunters
• They make about 90% of
its diet from prairie dogs
• However in the mid
1900’s prairie dog
numbers were drastically
reduced through hunting,
poisoning and habitat
destruction
Black Footed Ferret
• The final straw was
when a disease came
through the population
and wiped out the
remaining population
• This caused the black
footed ferret population
to drop to 18
individuals
Black Footed Ferret
• Biologists recognized
the loss of this species
and has been working
to understand the
biology of these
organisms
• Currently there are
breeding programs and
programs to prevent
habitat loss
Black Footed Ferret
• However the future for
the black footed ferret
is not safe
• They have undergone a
genetic bottleneck and
have very low genetic
variability
• Breeding programs are
trying to breed genetic
variation back into the
population, but it is a
slow process
Video
• http://video.nationalge
ographic.com/video/fer
ret_black_footed
Conservation vs Preservation
• Conservation of natural
biota and ecosystems
aims to sustainably use
the resources that are
in an ecosystem
• Preservation of natural
biota and ecosystems
aims to preserve the
natural health of the
ecosystem regardless of
use
Conservation vs Preservation
• The difference is that
conservation will find a
way to use a resource at
a level that is good for
long period of time
• Preservation will find a
way to make a resource
last for a long period of
time with or without
use
Consumptive vs Productive Use
• In Congo, many of the
people get their protein
intake from “bush
meat”
• This is wild game that is
hunted from natural
forests
• It can provide as much
as 75% of a person’s
protein intake
Consumptive vs Productive Use
• Many of the people in
Congo need the meat in
order to survive
• Without it they would be
limiting their protein
intake
• They are practicing
consumptive use
• Consumptive use is the
practice of taking what is
needed to live from an
ecosystem
Consumptive vs Productive Use
• However, there are
many companies that
are starting to realize
the potential of the
bush meat industry
• They are hunting game
in large numbers and
shipping the meat to
cities
Consumptive vs Productive Use
• People in the city are
eating the animals at an
unsustainable level
• The forests are being
hunted at a rapid rate
that is unsustainable by
the ecosystem
• This is an example of
productive use
• Productive use is when a
resource is used for profit
Video
• http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=FDMFuOGy
Lsw
• http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=ogsg8SRAG
Jc
Types of Issues
• Understanding what
areas to designate as a
preserve or for
conservation is not a
strict scientific issue
• The underlying causes
for the reduction in
biodiversity are social
and economic issues
Types of Issues
• To truly address the
issue of the loss of
biodiversity, we have to
look at the social and
economic issues
• We have to come up
with solutions that are
also solutions for these
underlying issues
• Unless we address all
facets of the problem,
we will not truly solve it
Costa Rica
• Costa Rica is a hot spot
for biodiversity
• It is smaller than the
size of New York State
• However it is home to
over 500,000 species
• It has the most
biodiversity per square
mile of any area in the
world
Video
• http://vimeo.com/7497
3586
Costa Rica
• Since it is such a hot spot
of biodiversity, there have
been numerous programs
to setup preserve areas
• These zoned reserves are
widespread areas of
undisturbed forest that
make up about 25% of
Costa Rica’s land
• It allows the forest to
survive without any
human interference
Costa Rica
• The Costa Rican
government has also
put strict laws in the
areas surrounding the
forests
• These areas are lightly
populated and they act
as a buffer zone
between the preserve
and the rest of the
country
Costa Rica
• These buffer zones
allow the organisms to
have access to other
parts of the country
• It also is a zone that
humans can use for
resources such as
lumber, tourism and
solar power
• It is a way to get the
best of both worlds
Landscape Ideas
• Understanding the idea
that biodiversity must be
cultivated, not quartered
off is an important idea
• Remember a landscape is
a group of interacting
ecosystems
• Having these landscapes
interact is a huge part of
making biodiversity
Landscape Ideas
• When habitats are
fragmented,
biodiversity is lowered
in all areas
• Linking separate
ecosystems can be an
effective way to
conserve biodiversity
and increase
interactions among
ecosystems
Landscape Ideas
• Movement corridors
are areas where there
are linkages between
otherwise isolated
ecosystems
• These promote
biodiversity by having
organisms able to
access the resources
from multiple
ecosystems
Sustainable Development
• The idea that humans
and the environment
cannot exist together is
a myth
• Humans have to
understand how to
respect and develop a
working relationship
with the environment
• This will lead to success
for both parties
Sustainable Development
• Understanding that the
goal should not be to
use all of the resources
of the earth is the first
step to living with the
earth
• Understanding how
organisms interact with
the world is the first
step
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/
Sustainable Development
• The goal of our
development should
not be the easiest and
fastest option
• It should be a well
thought through plan
that take the
environment, human
health and the
sustainability of the
planet into account
Sustainable Development
• Sustainable
development is the idea
that we build and
develop while taking
human need and
environmental need
into account
• The goal of sustainable
development should be
to leave a total footprint
that the planet can
absorb