Download Conservation Biology Lecture No. 8

Lecture No. 1
 Wildlife
Wildlife is the entire native uncultivated flora and undomesticated
fauna.
 Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of life. (Elephant, Domestic Cow)
 Conservation
The science of protection and management of biodiversity.
Essential Steps for Conservation.
1) To know the status of biodiversity
2) To protect the declining biodiversity.
• Note: Protect only declining species which decline due to different
factors (E.g. Vultures decline due to Anthropogenic Activities).
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• Kangaroos=> Rare but don’t declining & remain stable. We don’t
conserve kangaroos.
If the number of kangaroos are 2000 then it stable and if the number
of deer 2000 then the diversity of deer declining.
• Why we conserve species?
We conserve because resources are limited. The species/natural
resources have values.
Measurement of Biodiversity:
To know or estimate the status of biodiversity, we use 2 methods.
1. Direct Method
2. Indirect Method
 Direct Method:
1) Total Count (Plants or individuals count in number)
2) Sampling (Average no. of trees in forest can be calculated with
help of Sampling Method)
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3) Capture-Mark-Recapture Method (E.g. Capture some
Squirrels, mark them and release. Capture individuals 2nd time
check number of marked individuals this method. This methid is
called capture mark recapture Method).
Indirect Method:
• From the number of preys you can estimate the number of
predators
• Fecal matter analysis of predators
• From the number of shed antlers you can estimate
• From CO2 produced and O2 utilized/consumed ,you can
estimate.
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Lecture No. 2
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Aims of Conservation
To known the status of biodiversity.
Some species are naturally rare. (e.g kangaroo)
Protect only declining species which decline due to
different factors. (E.g. Vultures decline due to
Anthropogenic Activities)
How we measure species declining, when we say specie
decline is 50% in last 20 years. E.g. 1000=>500 It means
species disappear from 50% area.
Species is represented in Pakistan by 1 individual. (Single
individual captured from Pakistan will indicate, the
diversity of that specie is abundant in Pakistan)
Conservation never means just to increase the number
of individuals, it’s means to maintain the genetic
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variability.
How to maintain genetic variability with few individuals?
To maintain genetic variability with few individuals, we
use the 2 types of conservation.
• Conservation: 2 types
1) Area {In-situ (nature)}
2) Species {Ex-situ (captivity)}
In-Situ Conservation
Chances of survival are greater than chances of extinction.
For example; Conservation in National Park.
Ex-Situ Conservation
If chances of extinctions are greater than the chances of
survival. For example; Conservation in Zoo.
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• Challenges towards Conservation:
• To maintain the genetic variability.
• Identification of species.
According to IUCN, at present 215 species are being
conserved in captivity.
Erwin used a method to calculate the biodiversity of insects’
species. At a tropical tree he used fumigation process and
calculates the number of insects’ specie there and
multiplied it with number of trees present in the world
and say,
8,000,000 insects’ species are present in the world.
This is the one way to know the biodiversity.
Morph Species: The resembling taxa should be represented
as one specie.
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Lecture No.3
Challenges
Biodiversity is directly proportion to the Temperature.
• Statement
Diversity increase from Poles to Tropics.
 5-100 million species are present in the world. But only
1.5 million species are still known.
Conserve due to=> 1) limitation of resources. 2) Biodiversity
has values.
• Hypothesis
1) Catastrophic (Destruction) Hypothesis.
2) Evolutionary Speed Hypothesis.
3) Energy Input Hypothesis.
4) Productivity Hypothesis.
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• Catastrophic (Destruction) Hypothesis:
• Tropics are more balanced so they are highly diverse.
During Global warming temperature will rise, the
diversity will also rise.
• Evolutionary Speed Hypothesis:
• All the diversity remains active throughout the year
at tropics. This phenomenon speeds up the
Evolution.
• Class insecta are more diverse. If the diversity of
tropic remains active reproduction process takes
place and cause evolution.
• At poles, cold blooded animals remain inactive.
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• Energy Input Hypothesis:
The Tropics receive more energy so they are highly
diverse.
Desert = least diverse (unavailability of water, Plants
don’t exist so no transpiration occur.)
• Productivity hypothesis:
Tropics are more productive and have large area so
they are highly diverse.
Tropical ecosystem uses for conserve the diversity.
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Lecture No. 4
• Approaches are use to measure and protect the
biodiversity.
Conservation
Problems
1) Species identification
2) Status of specie
3) Species decline
• To solve these problems use the shortcuts e.g
resembling taxa.
 Survogate approach (borrow the technology).
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Shortcuts for Conservation
• Survogate Approach: ( Literature survey)
Select one I.T (Indicator taxa).
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I.T should have stable and well known Taxonomy.
I.T should have known Ecology.(Role of species in
ecosystem)
I.T should be cosmopolitan in distribution.
Some species of indicated taxa should be habitat
specific. E.g. Grassland, Mountain etc.
The conservational strategies applicable to indicator
taxa should be equally applicable to all other taxa.
(Not Possible).
The indicator taxa should have some economic
values.(We should conserve on biological values) 11
• Extinction
There are 3 types of Extinction
1) Ecological Extinction.
The individual of a species are there but unable to play
their ecological role.
2) Local Extinction.
The species is still present in its geographical range but
became extinct locally.
3) Biological Extinction.
The species are no more known to exist. It is the real
extinction.
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Lecture No. 5
1) Survogate Approach:
You should select only one taxa in Survogate Approach.
2) Multi-Taxa Approach:
Shopping basket approach
Insects, Mammals, Aves, Reptiles, Amphibians.
• You can conserve all mammals by selecting a mammal.
• Issue is taxonomic distinct.
3) Taxonomic Distinctiveness Approach:
You have to develop your own strategy.
E.g. 1) Polar bear 2) Indus dolphin
(For the conservation of Polar bear and Indus dolphin,
you have to develop your own strategy).
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4) Representation Approach:
• Representation Approach is the combination of all
the approaches.
5) Complementary Approach:
Mark the grids of biodiversity.
National park Requires intact (complete) Ecosystem.
For example Dessert, Forest and Grassland etc.
• Mark those areas where biodiversity rich in number.
• By conserving 5% area, we can conserve 95%
biodiversity.
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These are the Advocacy of Wildlife.
• One type of wildlife value.
• Multiple values.
• Apathetic about wildlife.
Values
There are 4 types of values on the base of economic.
• Direct Use Values (Current market value):
What we directly attain from biodiversity?
We get food and medicine.
• Indirect Use Value:
1-Ecosystem services (E.g. Take O2 from Plants)
2-Recycling
3-Micro-organisms
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• Optional Value (Hidden value):
Medicinal values by plants and animals.
• Existence Value:
The Species have right of existence as human.
 How much you spend to save a tiger?
 To see the zoo animals, we bought a ticket because
we want to save the zoo animals.
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1) Laissez Faire Group:
Mostly peoples are living in cities and apathetic (No
concern) about the wildlife and their values.
2) Protectionists:
They are those people that want to conserve the wildlife
on ethical grounds.
3) Sentimentalists:
These are the group of people that want to conserve the
wildlife for their aesthetic values.
4) Single Use Adherents:
They focus only one value for the conservation of wildlife
5) Multiple Use Adherents:
They use multiple values for the conservation of wildlife.
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• Lecture no. 6
• There are 2 types of conservation.
1) Species (Ex-situ)
• In Ex-situ conservation 1st Difficulty is to identify the species.
According to IUCN 215 species are in captivity.
2) Area (In-situ)
National park. Heart for ecosystem, management &
conservation.
• Ecosystem.
Ecosystem is relationship of biotic and abiotic components.
Every ecosystem must have its own national park.
E.g. 1) Dessert has its own ecosystem.
2) Forest has its own ecosystem.
3) Grassland has its own ecosystem.
• Closed Ecosystem: Biotic and Abiotic components of
one ecosystem don’t interfere to other ecosystem.
We consider that ecosystem is closed but closed
ecosystem is actually open.
In-Situ Conservation: Relatively greater in number.
What is the biggest challenge for conservation?
Answer. To maintain the genetic variability.
The largest problem is inbreeding in conservation.
Landscape Scale Conservation:
Patchiness in habitat/ ecosystem/ environment.
Landscape scale is not homogenous. Ecosystem is open
so, it is heterogeneous.
• Factors that affect conservation effort in landscape:
1) Quality of the Patch:
For species of concern.
2) Patch Context:
Spatial location of the patch. (Barrier can be crossed or
not).
3) Connectivity:
Ease of moments of species.