Download Biodiversity Section 3

Biodiversity
Section 3
Objectives
• List and describe four types of efforts to save individual
species.
• Explain the advantages of protecting entire ecosystems
rather than individual species.
• Describe the main provisions of the Endangered
Species Act.
• Discuss ways in which efforts to protect endangered
species can lead to controversy.
• Describe three examples of worldwide cooperative
efforts to prevent extinctions.
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Saving Species One at a Time
• People sometimes make extraordinary
efforts to save the last few individuals of a
species
– hope a stable population may be
restored
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Captive-Breeding Programs
• Breeding species in captivity, with the hopes of
reintroducing populations to their natural habitats
– successfully with the Californian condor
– uncertain if populations will reproduce in the wild
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Preserving Genetic Material
• Germ plasm: hereditary material (chromosomes and
genes) usually contained in the protoplasm of germ cells
– may be stored as seeds, sperm, eggs, or pure DNA.
• Germ-plasm banks store germ plasm in controlled
environments for future use in research or speciesrecovery efforts
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Zoos, Aquariums, Parks, and Gardens
• zoos now house the few remaining members of some
species, their last chance for survival
• rarely have enough resources or knowledge to preserve
more than a fraction of the world’s rare and threatened
species.
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More Study Needed
• Saving a few individuals often doesn’t save species
– species may not reproduce or survive again in the
wild
– small populations are vulnerable to infectious
diseases , and genetic disorders
– strategies are a last resort
• Urgent need for more serious study of the workings of
species and ecosystems
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Preserving Habitats and Ecosystems
• most effective way to save species is to protect their
habitats.
• often means preserving or managing large areas to
provide needed resources
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Conservation Strategies
• Priority to protecting entire ecosystems rather than
individual species
– saves most of the species in an ecosystem, not just
endangered species
• Focus on the hotspots
• Identify areas of native habitat that can be preserved,
restored, and linked into large networks
• Promote products that have been harvested with
sustainable practices
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Legal Protection for Species
• National laws and regulations to prevent the extinction
of species and
– those in the United States among the strongest
–.
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1973, Endangered Species Act
designed to protect any plant or animal species in danger
of extinction
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) compiles list of
all endangered and threatened species
– 983 species listed as of 2002
• protects listed species from human harm.
• prevents the federal government from starting a project
that jeopardizes a listed species
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Recovery Plans
• provision of the Endangered Species Act
– plan for each listed species.
– plans often propose to protect or restore
habitats for
• restrict human uses of land, can be
controversial
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Habitat Conservation Plans
• A form of compromise between human
uses and conservation
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International Cooperation
• International Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) formed
– IUCN publishes Red Lists of species in danger of
extinction around the world
– advises governments on ways to manage their
natural resources
– works with groups like the World Wildlife Fund
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International Trade and Poaching
• created treaty called CITES (the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species).
• work to ban on all sales, imports, and exports of ivory,
other exotic products
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The Biodiversity Treaty
• United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development: also known as the first Earth Summit.
– international agreement aimed at strengthening
national control and preservation of biological
resources.
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The Biodiversity Treaty
• Goals
– preserve biodiversity
– ensure the sustainable and fair use of genetic
resources in all countries.
• Slow to adopt into law by the U.S. government.
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Private Conservation Efforts
• Often more effective than government agencies
• Examples
– World Wildlife Fund encourages the sustainable use of
resources and supports wildlife protection.
– The Nature Conservancy has helped purchase millions of
hectares of habitat preserves in 29 countries.
– Conservation International helps identify biodiversity
hotspots.
– Greenpeace International organizes direct and
sometimes confrontational actions.
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Balancing Human Needs
• Protecting species often conflicts with the interests of the
world’s human inhabitants.
– endangered species might represent a source of food
or income
– species may not seem valuable to those who do not
understand the species’ role in an ecosystem
• Many conservationists feel than an important part of
protecting species is making the value of biodiversity
understood by more people.