Download Name: Date: Notes Chapter 9.4 APES ___ = Most Important ___

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Date:
Notes Chapter 9.4 APES
___ = Most Important
___ = Important
9.4 How Can We Sustain Wild Species and Their Ecosystem Services?
What is the world’s most far reaching international treaty/convention that was established in 1975 and
how does it help sustain wild species? Which treaty was signed by 193 countries but not used in the
U.S. since 2012 and how does it help sustain biodiversity of species?
• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) that bans the hunting, capturing, and
selling of threatened or endangered species
• CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) that legally commits participating governments to reducing
the global rate of biodiversity loss and to equitably sharing the benefits from use of the world’s generic
resources.
What Act is used predominately in the U.S. since 1973 and how does it help sustain species biodiversity?
What is one problem that other nations have a since its establishment? What other two major services
are affected by the Act of 1973 and how does it help protect aquatic species?
• ESA (Endangered Species Act) that was designed to identify and protect endangered species in the
United States and abroad.
• This act is probably the most far-reaching environmental law ever adopted by any nation therefore,
other nations found this law to be very controversial.
• NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) which is responsible for identifying and listing endangered
and threatened ocean species and USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to identify and list all other
endangered species
What fines do private land owners have to pay for breaking the Act of 1973? What incentives do private
land owners have for upholding the Act of 1973? What must all commercial shipments with wildlife and
wildlife products uphold because of the Act?
• Fines as high as $100,000 and 1 year in prison (rarely used)
• ESA has been amended to give private landowners various economic incentives to help save
endangered species living on their lands. Also, makes it illegal for Americans to sell and buy any product
made from an endangered or threatened species or to hunt, kill, collect, or injure such species in the
United States.
• All shipments of wildlife and wildlife products must enter or leave the country through one of 17
designed airports and ocean ports.
What three concepts were formed from the Act of 1973 and are still institutionalized today and have not
become nullified?
• 1) Species are listed only when they face serious dangers of extinction.
2.) The conditions of more than half of the listed species are stable or improving.
3.) The 2012 budget for protecting endangered species amounted to an average expenditure of about
86 cents per U.S. citizen.
What three changes were recommended by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to help make the Act
of 1973 more scientifically sound and effective?
• 1.) Greatly increase the meager funding for implementing the act.
2.) Put more emphasis on developing recovery plans more quickly.
3.) When a species is first listed, establish the core of its habitat as critical for its survival and give that
area the maximum protection.
What do more than three-fourths of the refuges serve to protect in wetland sanctuaries? What are the
harmful parts found in some wildlife refuges?
• More than three-fourths of the refuges serve as wetland sanctuaries that are vital for protecting
migratory waterfowl.
• Mining, oil drilling, and the use of off-road vehicles occur in nearly 60% of the nation’s wildlife refuges.
Also, they receive such little funds that a third of them have no staff, and many of the structural facilities
are in need of repairs.
How do seed banks protect species? What about botanical gardens?
• Seed banks preserve genetic information and endangered plant species by storing their seeds in
refrigerated, low-humidity environments. More than 1,000 seed banks hold up to approximately
3,000,000 samples.
• Botanical gardens contain living plants that represent almost one-third of the world’s known plant
species, but unfortunately contain only about 3% of the rare and threatened plant species.
How do zoos and aquariums protect species and name certain species that are protected this way?
Also, how should the precautionary principle be used for sustaining species biodiversity in a similar
fashion for how we use the principle to sustain humanities wellbeing?
• Zoos and aquariums are used to preserve some individuals of critically endangered animal species,
with the long-term goal of reintroducing the species into protected wild habitats. White tigers and
Arabian oryx eggs are found in some of these establishments.
• Scientist use the precautionary principle to argue for both the preservation of species and protections
of entire ecosystems and the ecosystem services, since without them, it may be detrimental to the wellbeing of humans.