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A kind reminder on distractions such as phone use, noise (see
syllabus). Please allow fellow students to focus.
E.G. please always turn off your cell phone or put it on vibrate mode for class
Dr. William James Smith, Jr.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, UNLV
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Geography, The University of Iowa
One Planet Population PDF
http://www.earthportal.net/about/content/
http://authors.earthportal.net/wiki/EOE:How_to_Contribute
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_632.html
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/
Introduction to biodiversity
Our plan
• Key science concepts and definitions relating to biodiversity reviewed
• Help you appreciate the accompanying presentation by Bill Raynor of
the The Nature Conservancy
• View video clips if we have time
• Map of areas of great biodiversity
Four elements of “biodiversity” (the entire definition can be on the test!):
1) Variety of different species (species diversity);
2) Genetic variability among individuals within each species (genetic
diversity);
3) Variety of ecosystems (ecological diversity); and
4) Functions such as energy flow & matter cycling (e.g. soil) needed for the
survival of species and biological communities (functional diversity).
Where is the greatest volume of biodiversity?!
GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY VALUE: a map showing the distribution of some of
the most highly valued terrestrial biodiversity world-wide (mammals, reptiles,
amphibians and seed plants), using family-level data for equal-area grid cells (ref
10), with red for high biodiversity and blue for low biodiversity.
What do these 3 big cats from SA, A, and NA biomes have in common?
Changes in…, not direct.
Geological Periods
Carboniferous
Cretaceous
Devonian
Jurassic
Silurian
Ordovician
Triassic
Permian
Cambrian
E
s
t
i
800
m
a
t 600
e
d
Tertiary
Quaternary
Mass extinctions
Via Natural causes!
The big
rock?
400
S
p
e
c
i
e
s
200
0
570
505
438
360
408
286
208
245
Millions of years ago
144
65
0
2
?
Why care?!
UN CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
http://www.biodiv.org/
The Web of Life
The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by
natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans.
It forms the web of life, of which we are an integral part, and upon which we depend.
This diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and
microorganisms.
• 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures such as insects.
• Scientists reckon about 13 million species, but estimates range from 3 to 100 million.
Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within
each species - for example, between varieties of crops
and breeds of livestock. Chromosomes, genes, and
DNA-the building blocks of life-determine the
uniqueness of individuals and species.
How does this connect to factory farming and
genetically modified crops?
Yet another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of
ecosystems such as those that occur in deserts, forests,
wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, etc.
In each ecosystem, living creatures, including
humans, form a interdependent community,
interacting with one another and the air, water, and soil
around them. This includes animals dependant of plants.
Ecologists are one group that study such webs to
understand this interdependency.
It is the combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with
the rest of the environment that has made Earth a uniquely habitable place for
humans.
Biodiversity provides a large number of “goods and services” that sustain our lives
(I will show you more on this later).
What about other forms of life would make you think “they matter?”
-Stronger
-Older
-Cuter
-We NEED them in easy to see ways
-Value in and of themselves like John Muir would see
- “One of God’s creatures?”
Value of Nature
Instrumental
Intrinsic
(human centered)
(species or
ecosystem
centered)
REMINDS YOU OF “MUIR?”
Utilitarian and
Multipurpose for humans
Ecological goods
and services
Nonutilitarian
“Good
for the soul”
Existence
Aesthetic
Information
“REMINDS YOU
OF PINCHOT,
ET AL.?
Option
Bequest
REMINDS YOU OF “MUIR?”
Fig. 22.11, p. 561
Recreation
Over 2,000 year old giant sequoia in Central/N. California
John
Muir’s
Sierra Club
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a
comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development" -- meeting our needs while
ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations.
One key agreements adopted at Rio was the Convention on Biological Diversity.
This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments sets out commitments
for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as we go about the business
of economic development.
The Convention establishes 3 main goals:
1. The conservation of biological diversity;
2. The sustainable use of its components; and
3. The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.
CORE KNOWLEDGE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND BIODIVESITY
1 - We Are Changing Life on Earth
The rich tapestry of life on our planet is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of
evolutionary history. It has been shaped by forces such as changes in the planet's crust,
ice ages, fire, and interaction among species. Now, it is increasingly being altered by
humans at a pace of change too fast a for some forms of life to survive.
From 10,000 years ago, through the Industrial Revolution, we have reshaped our
landscapes on an ever-larger and lasting scale.
We are reducing variety & total numbers in ecosystems and life forms.
We have moved from hacking down trees with stone tools to literally moving mountains
to mine the Earth's resources. Old ways of harvesting are being replaced by more
intensive technologies, often without controls to prevent over-harvesting.
In 1999, the world's pop. hit 6 billion. UN experts predict the world will have to find
resources for a population of 9 billion people in 50 years living more like “us.”
We notice changes less because we are divorced from nature (groceries).
Yet our demands on the world's natural resources are growing even faster than our
numbers: since 1950, the population has more than doubled, but the global
economy has quintupled.
And the benefits are not equally spread: most of the economic growth has occurred
in a relatively few industrialized countries
(Remind you of our “limits” discussion?!
How about the need for regulation? Remind you of our Hardin discussion?!)
More on the gravity of the threat to biodiversity
Species have been disappearing at 50-100 times the natural rate, and this is
forecasted to rise dramatically.
Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species - including
1 in 8 of all bird species - will soon face extinction.
For thousands of years we have been developing a vast array of domesticated plants and
animals important for food.
But this treasure house is shrinking as modern commercial agriculture focuses on
relatively few crop varieties.
And, about 30% of breeds of the main farm animal species are currently at high risk of
extinction.
For example, fisheries that have fed communities for centuries have been depleted in
a few years by huge, sonar-guided ships using nets big enough to swallow a dozen
jumbo jets at a time.
By consuming ever more of nature's resources, we have gained more abundant food
and better shelter, sanitation, and health care, but these gains are often accompanied
by increasing environmental degradation that may be followed by declines in local
economies and the societies they supported (Hati deforestation google earth AND PIC)
“Point of diminishing return?” CLASS -WHAT COULD THE IMPACTS BE?!
(Remember Foster’s stories?)
LINKAGES - IF YOU GET THESE YOU ARE DOING WELL!!
-Soil loss lost in relation to thirst and hunger VS. Cuba).
-Recharge for aquifers and stream impacts
-Reef health and fish population in and off shore
-Only trees left are those that make an almost immediate profit
-Public health
All exacerbated by political conflict (U.S. involved too)
Social and environmental linkages
-Science
-Economy
-Sustainability
It would be impractical to replace, to any large extent, services such as pest control
performed by various creatures feeding on one another, or pollination performed by
insects and birds going about their everyday business.
"Goods and Services" provided by ecosystems include:
* Provision of food and fuel
* Provision of shelter and building materials
* Purification of air and water
* Detoxification and decomposition of wastes
* Stabilization and moderation of the Earth's climate
* Moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind
* Generation and renewal of soil fertility, including nutrient cycling
* Pollination of plants, including many crops
* Control of pests and diseases
* Maintenance of genetic resources as key inputs to crop varieties and livestock
…...breeds, medicines, and other products
* Cultural and aesthetic benefits
* Ability to adapt to change
DO YOU NEED THESE SERVICES?!
Rauvolfia
Rauvolfia sepentina,
Southeast Asia
Tranquilizer, high
blood pressure
medication
Fig. 22.12a, p. 561
Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea,
Europe
Digitalis for heart failure
Fig. 22.12b, p. 561
Pacific yew
Taxus brevifolia,
Pacific Northwest
Ovarian cancer
Fig. 22.12c, p. 561
Cinchona
Cinchona ledogeriana,
South America
Quinine for malaria treatment
Fig. 22.12d, p. 561
Rosy periwinkle
Cathranthus roseus,
Madagascar
Hodgkin's disease,
lymphocytic leukemia
Fig. 22.12e, p. 561
Neem tree
Azadirachta indica,
India
Treatment of many
diseases, insecticide,
spermicide
Fig. 22.12f, p. 561
While the loss of individual species catches our attention, it is the fragmentation,
degradation, and outright loss of forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other
ecosystems that poses the gravest threat to biological diversity.
Forests are home to much of the known terrestrial biodiversity, but about 45% of
the Earth's original forests are gone, cleared mostly during last 100 yrs.
Up to 10% of coral reefs - among the richest ecosystems - have been destroyed,
and one third of the remainder face collapse over the next 10 to 20 years.
Coastal mangroves, nursery habitat for countless species, are vulnerable, with 1/2
gone.
2 - An Agreement for Action
In 1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm) resolved to
establish the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Governments signed a number of regional and international agreements to tackle
issues such as protecting wetlands and regulating the international trade in
endangered species.
These agreements, along with controls on toxic chemicals and pollution, have
helped to slow the tide of destruction but have not reversed it.
For example, an international ban and restrictions on the taking and selling of certain
animals and plants have helped to reduce over-harvesting and poaching.
In 1992, an historic set of agreements was signed at the "Earth Summit", the
Convention on Biological Diversity, the first global agreement on the
conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity being one of them.
ROLE FOR GIS
The Convention stands as a landmark in international law.
• It recognizes-for the first time-that the conservation of biological diversity is "a
common concern of humankind" and is an integral part of the development process.
• The agreement covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources.
• It links traditional conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological
resources sustainably.
• It sets principles for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the
use of genetic resources, notably those destined for commercial use.
• It also covers the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology, addressing technology
development and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety.
• Importantly, the Convention is legally binding; countries that join it are obliged to
implement its provisions.
The Convention acknowledges that substantial investments are required to conserve
biological diversity. It argues, however, that conservation will bring us significant
environmental, economic and social benefits in return.
Some of the many issues dealt with under the Convention include:
* Measures and incentives for conservation & sustainable use of biological diversity;
* Regulated access to genetic resources;
* Access to and transfer of technology, including biotechnology;
* Technical and scientific cooperation;
* Impact assessment;
* Public awareness;
* Provision of financial resources; and
* National reporting on efforts to implement treaty commitments.
The Convention also offers decision-makers guidance based on the precautionary
principle
(that where there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological
diversity, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing
measures to avoid or minimize such a threat e.g. climate change.)
3 - National Action
The Convention on Biological Diversity, as an international treaty, identifies a common
problem, sets overall goals and policies and general obligations, and organizes
technical and financial cooperation.
However, the responsibility for achieving its goals rests largely with the countries
themselves.
Private companies, landowners, fishermen, and farmers take most of the actions
that affect biodiversity.
Governments need to provide leadership / rules. CN ships in FSM
They must develop national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and integrate
these into broader national plans for environment and development (B. Raynor PPT).
GIS
Other treaty commitments include specific actions regarding:
* Identifying and monitoring the important components of biological diversity that
need to be conserved and used sustainably;
* Establishing protected areas to conserve biological diversity while promoting
environmentally sound development around these areas;
* Rehabilitating and restoring degraded ecosystems and promoting the recovery of
threatened species in collaboration with local residents;
* Respecting, preserving and maintaining traditional knowledge of sustainable use of
biological diversity with via involvement of indigenous people & local communities;
GIS
* Preventing the introduction of, controlling, and eradicating alien species that could
threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
* Controlling the risks posed by organisms modified by biotechnology.
* Promoting public participation, particularly when it comes to assessing the
environmental impacts of development projects that threaten biological diversity.
* Educating people and raising awareness about the importance of biological
diversity and the need to conserve it.
* Reporting on how each country is meeting its biodiversity goals.
4 - International Action
The Convention's success depends on the combined efforts of the world's nations.
Compliance will depend on informed self-interest and peer pressure from other
countries and public opinion.
The Convention has created a global series of meetings.
The Convention's ultimate authority is the Conference of the Parties (COP),
consisting of all governments (and regional economic integration organizations) that
have ratified the treaty.
The COP can rely on support from several other bodies established by the Convention:
* The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA).
The SBSTTA is a committee composed of experts from member governments
competent in relevant fields. It plays a key role in making recommendations.
* The Clearing House Mechanism. This Internet-based network promotes technical
and scientific cooperation and the exchange of information.
* The Secretariat, based in Montreal, it is linked to UNEP. Its functions to organize
meetings, draft documents, assist member governments in the implementation,
coordinate with other international organizations, and collect and disseminate info.
In addition, the COP establishes ad hoc committees or mechanisms as it sees fit.
For example, it created a Working Group on Biosafety that met from 1996 to 1999 and
a Working Group on the knowledge of indigenous and local communities.
(Note: Now you know a bit about the international relations of conservation!)
What is the scale of the threat of biodiversity loss?
Arctic Circle
60°
EUROPE
NORTH
AMERICA
30°N
Tropic Of Cancer
Pacific
Ocean
0°
150°
120°
90°
Tropic Of Capricorn
ASIA
Atlantic
Ocean
AFRICA
30°W
SOUTH
AMERICA
0°
Pacific
Ocean
60°E
90°
150°
Indian
AUSTRALIA
Ocean
30°S
Antarctic Circle
60°
ANTARCTICA
Critical and endangered
Projected Status of Biodiversity
1998–2018
Threatened
Stable or intact
1%
Probably extinct
7%
Critically
imperiled
67%
Secure or
apparently
secure
8%
Imperiled
16%
Vulnerable
1%
Other
Fig. 22.4, p. 554
Range 100 years ago
Range today
(about 2,300 left)
Fig. 22.14a, p. 565
Indian Tiger
Range in 1700
Range today
(about 2,400 left)
Fig. 22.14b, p. 565
Black Rhino
Former range
Range today
(34,000–54,000 left)
Asian or Indian Elephant
Fig. 22.14d, p. 565
One way to deal with biodiversity loss… pros and cons class?!
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/
CNN CLIP ON STUDYING ELEPHANTS
TO PREPARE CONSERVATION PLANS
ELEPHANTS
North American-South
American flyways
Often can’t just protect one spot!
European-African
flyways
Asian flyways
Fig. 22.25, p. 581
Examples of birds extinct due to human interference
Passenger
pigeon
Great Auk
Dodo
Dusky seaside
sparrow
Aepyornis
(Madagascar)
Fig. 22.6, p. 555
Diversity
of animals
in trouble
Florida
manatee
Northern spotted Gray wolf
owl (threatened)
Florida panther Bannerman's
turaco (Africa)
Devil's Hole
pupfish
Snow leopard
(Central Asia)
Black footed
ferret
Symphonia
(Madagascar)
Utah prairie dog
(threatened)
Ghost bat
(Australia)
California
condor
Black lace
cactus
Black rhinoceros Oahu tree
(Africa)
snail
Grizzly bear
(threatened)
Arabian oryx
(Middle East)
White top
pitcher plant
Mojave desert
tortoise
(threatened)
Swallowtail
butterfly
Humpback
chub
Kirtland's
warblers
Golden lion
tamarin
(Brazil)
African elephant
(Africa)
Siberian tiger
(Siberia)
Fig. 22.7b, p. 557
West Virginia spring
salamander
Giant panda
(China)
Mountain gorilla Swamp
(Africa)
pink
Knowlton
cactus
Whooping
crane
Pine barrens Hawksbill sea
turtle
tree-frog
(male)
Blue whale
El Segundo
blue butterfly
Fig. 22.7c, p. 557
Indicator species
Species that serve as early warnings that a community or ecosystem
is being degraded.
Keystone species
Species that play roles affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem.
CNN CLIP ON MUTANT FROGS AS AN INDICATOR SPECIES
Illegal trade and the cash economy (ivory, etc.)
GIS
Clip CNN CLIP ON SEA TURTLES VS. EBAY
Then My Pohnpei Sea Turtle homemade video
FROGS AND TURTLES
Biome
% of Area Disturbed
Temperate broadleaf forests
94%
Temperate evergreen forests
94%
Temperate grasslands
72%
Mixed mountain systems
71%
Tropical dry forests
70%
Subtropical and temperate
rain forests
67%
Cold deserts and semidesert
55%
Mixed island systems
53%
Warm deserts and
semideserts
44%
Tropical humid forests
37%
Tropical grasslands
26%
Temperate Boreal forests
18%
Fig. 22.15, p. 566
Tundra
0.7%
Rain Forest Rescue? “Save the Amazon”
Rain forests cover only 2% of the Earth's surface, but they support
almost half of the Earth's known living species.
Big sat image of Brazil
Darwin
CNN CLIP ON DEFORESTATION
DEFORESTATION
Impact of modern transportation
systems (brown tree snakes,
roaches, rats, etc.)
E.G. Tire importation and the
expansion of the fire ant in
southern states.
1918
2000
Fig. 22.18, p. 570
Type of Nonnative Organism
Crop disease
Annual Losses and damages
$23.5 billion
Crop weeds
$23.5 billion
Rats
$19 billion
Feral cats and outdoor pet cats
$17 billion
Crop insects
Livestock diseases
Forest insects and diseases
$14 billion
$9 billion
$4.8 billion
Zebra mussels
$3 billion
Common pigeon
$1.1 billion
Formosan termite
$1.1 billion
Fishes
$1.1 billion
Asian clam
$1.1 billion
Feral pigs
$0.8 billion
Starlings
$0.8 billion
Fire ant
$0.6 billion
Fig. 22.16, p. 566
Fig. 24.18, p. 653
Global freshwater
3.5
3.4
Mean trophic level
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
1950
1960
1970
1980
Year
1990
Fig. 24.8a, p. 635
?Impact of western water law?
Species at risk
<5%
5–9.9%
10–19.9%
20–29.9%
> 30%
Fig. 24.6, p. 634
Kissimmee
River
Channelized
(
)
Unchannelized
FLORIDA
(
)
Lake
Okeechobee
West
Palm
Beach
Fort Myers
GULF OF
MEXICO
Naples
Fort
Lauderdale
Agricultural area
Treatment marsh
Water
conservation area
Canal
Miami
Everglades
National
Park
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
FLORIDA
Key Largo
Florida Bay
Area of
detail
20
0
0
20
40
40
60 miles
60 kilometers
Fig. 24.16, p. 651
Humpback whale
Oil
meat
bone
tradition.
Bowhead whale
Whaling
aid
and
Treaties
Right whale
Minke
whale
Blue whale
Fin whale
Feeding
on krill
Sei whale
Fig. 24.14a, p. 642
Mysticetes (Baleen Whales)
Gray whale
Global marine
3.5
3.4
Mean trophic level
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
1950
1960
1970
1980
Year
1990
Fig. 24.8b, p. 635
Marjorie Reaka PPT
5 PART SERIES WITH MULTIMEDIA FROM AUG. 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-oceans-series,0,7842752.special
Habitat
loss
Habitat
degradation
Overfishing
Basic Causes
Climate
change
• Population growth
• Rising resource use
• No environmental
accounting
• Poverty
Introducing
nonnative
species
Commercial
hunting
and
poaching
Pollution
Predator
and
pest control
Sale of
exotic pets
and
decorative
plants
Fig. 22.13, p. 564
Slid e 20
Possible solutions:
Protecting Wild Species from Depletion and Extinction
Bioinformatics
International Treaties
National Laws:
E.G. Lacy Act and Endangered Species Acts
(including laws against invasive species,
controls at airports, etc.)
Habitat conservation plans
Wildlife refuges and protected areas (e.g. biological corridors)
Zoos, botanical gardens, and gene banks (a solution
wherein we substitute science for nature… again?!)
MARINE CONSERVATION
Not just adorable seals, incredible whales, and cute sea otters, etc.
CNN CLIP ON WHITE ABOLONE AND THE IMPACT OF THE
CAPITALIST MARKET/EXPORTING MARINE HARVESTS
GIS
ABOLONE
Wildlife Management
Laws regulating hunting and fishing
Harvest quotas
Population management plans
Improving habitat
Treaties and laws for migrating species
Improved technology
Shrimp trawler
Area enlarged right
Fig. 24.13, p. 640
The darker side of technology
SEE VIDEOS AT
http://www.savethehighseas.org/science_tour.cfm
http://www.savethehighseas.org/video.cfm
Specifically
An overview of the destruction caused by deep sea trawling, including
footage gathered by the Rainbow Warrior in the Tasman Sea in 2004 and
2005. A version of this video was presented to UNICPOLOS (United
Nations open-ended informal consultative process on oceans and the law
of the sea) in 2005.
rtsp://a747.v90021.c9002.g.vr.akamaistream.net/ondemand/7/747/9002/7d59d10242b/www.greenpeace.org/download/realplayer/international/photosvideos/videos/deep-sea-trawling/UNICPOLOS_deep_sea.rm
Weighted with massive bobbins, rollers, or rockhoppers, trawl nets may
stretch up to 40 meters in width and are held open by pairs of seven-ton
steel trawl doors. Trawler footropes can roll 18-ton seafloor rocks.
Trawling trips can last as long as four to six weeks with fishing around
the clock. Trawlers sweep a vast area of seafloor, crushing corals,
sponges and most of the other living things that they hit. Many deep
sea fish are slow and reproduce slowly, with some like orange roughy
living over 100 years -- so by-catch is a huge problem!
The estimated total area swept annually by trawl nets (the same
area is often trawled many times a year) is equivalent to about 50
percent of the world's continental shelf area, or approximately 150
times the area of forest that is annually clearcut worldwide.
Both logic and the large, rapidly growing number of scientific studies
documenting trawling impacts lead to the unmistakable conclusion that
bottom trawling is the world's most harmful method of fishing.
BY-CATCH PHOTOShttp://www.savethehighseas.org/photo_gallery.cfm?Cat=7
http://www.oceansatlas.com/
For news, information and maps
The main drainage of “Earth Island” is its seas
http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_orpp_outreach.html
Glamour species
often our prime focus
Technology makes killing easy, Parisian restaurants make it profitable (demand side).
Ebola and HIV related to “bushmeat?”
Google Africa’s Congo basin
Nat Geog on either all of ch 5 and 6 use Intervideo DVD
Diane Fossey ch 6 second story in 109:00 start
Fig. 22.24, p. 576
CNN CLIP ON PROTECTING WILD ANIMALS
WHILE ALSO PROTECTING LIVELIHOODS!
HOW DO YOU ENHANCE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
IN EFFORTS INSTEAD OF JUST OUTSIDE PRESSURE
AND REGULATION? TO SHARE BENEFITS IS TO INCLUDE
OTHERS IN PROTECTION.
PROTECTING ANIMALS AND LIVELIHOODS
An important barrier to consider:
All species are important and connected to each other’s survival in ways
we are just now starting to understand. However, the “beautiful” ones are
the ones we tend to focus on. Thus, some parts of the web of life are
taken for granted. Also, some stand in the way of economic “development.”
Question: Is that satisfactory?!
The challenge: Can we figure a way positive and holistic way forward?
Yes… even our less cuddly little friends below have an important niche to fill!
5 - What Are the Next Steps?
Major challenges to implementing the CBD and promoting sustainable development:
* Meeting increasing demand for biological resources caused by growth and consumption;
* Increasing capacity to document and understand biodiversity, its value, and threats to it;
* Building adequate expertise and experience in biodiversity planning;
* Improving policies, legislation, guides, & fiscal measures for regulating biodiversity use;
* Adopting incentives to promote more sustainable forms of biodiversity use.
* Promoting trade rules and practices that foster sustainable use of biodiversity;
* Strengthening coordination within governments, and b/n governments and stakeholders;
* Securing adequate financial resources for conservation and sustainable use, from both
national and international sources;
* Making better use of technology;
* Building political support for the changes necessary to ensure biodiversity conservation
and sustainable use; and avoiding wars like those in the next slide
* Improving education and public awareness about the value of biodiversity.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/24/w.africa.elephants.reut/index.html
West African states agree to save elephants
Thursday, November 24, 2005; Posted: 11:34 a.m. EST (16:34 GMT)
NAIROBI, Nov 24 (Reuters) -- West African states emerging from years of civil strife have pledged to conserve and protect dwindling elephant
populations, a Liberian government official said on Thursday.
Experts say elephants in West Africa died by their thousands in the 19th century ivory trade and as a result of the construction of roads and
railways following the arrival of European colonial powers.
In the 20th century, elephant numbers continued to decline with more ivory poaching and new threats, such as habitat destruction through logging
and farming as well as conflict.
West African states have witnessed civil unrest and political instability over the last three decades -- notably in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone
and Nigeria -- which experts say has had a serious impact on wildlife.
Experts estimate the number of elephants left in the region of 13 countries to be between 5,000-13,000.
"West Africa was having serious problems in terms of instability and when people don't have peace, they don't think about conservation -- they
first think about human preservation," Anthony Jarbo Tablah, a senior Liberian wildlife expert told Reuters.
"Now the entire region is more or less returning to stability, we want to focus on development and looking after the environment which is why 13
countries in West Africa signed this treaty on Tuesday," he added.
The treaty and its action plan set targets and timetables for improving elephant habitats, boosting fragile populations and setting up protected
wildlife corridors between countries.
While the largest remaining elephant populations are in Burkina Faso and Benin, other West African countries have populations of fewer than
100.
Wildlife experts say it is unlikely these smaller populations will survive without swift and far-reaching action, as they are more vulnerable to
extinction due to drought, disease and poaching which removes breeding males.
Under the aegis of the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), the treaty plans for compensation for crop damage by elephants and the
establishment of trained, rapid response teams to deal with rogue elephants to reduce animal-human conflicts.
It also provides for better intelligence networks to be established to combat poaching and incentives for making arrests.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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There are opportunities to intern at:
The Nature Conservancy in D.C.,
Conservation International,
UNEP,
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etc.
END OF THIS SLIDE SHOW
A real world example of a conservation plan?
Kacky Andrews PPT
The Nature Conservancy case study
End show
Decreasing Biodiversity
Environmental stress
Large environmental disturbance by technology and economy
Extreme environmental conditions
Introduction of alien species
Geographic isolation
S
Increasing Biodiversity
Physically diverse habitat
Moderate environmental disturbance
Small variations in conditions
CNN clips
Some CNN titles include:
-Sea turtles VS Ebay
-Protecting Wildlife
-Saving White Abalone
-Mutant frogs as an indicator species
-Studying elephants
-Deforestation
Atlantic
white-sided
dolphin
Common
dolphin
Harbor
porpoise
Killer
whale
Bottlenose
dolphin
Beluga
whale
Cuvier's
beaked
whale
False killer
whale
Pilot
whale
Narwhal
Pygmy
sperm
whale
0
0
5
10
Sperm
whale
Baird's
beaked
whale
10
20
30
Squid
15
40
Odontocetes (Toothed Whales)
50
20
60
25
70
80
30m
90
100ft
Fig. 24.14b, p. 643
Other treaty commitments include:
* Identifying and monitoring the important components of biological diversity that
need to be conserved and used sustainably.
* Establishing protected areas to conserve biological diversity while promoting
environmentally sound development around these areas.
* Rehabilitating and restoring degraded ecosystems and promoting the recovery
of threatened species in collaboration with local residents.
* Respecting, preserving and maintaining traditional knowledge of the
sustainable use of biological diversity with the involvement of indigenous
peoples and local communities.
* Preventing the introduction of, controlling, and eradicating alien species that
could threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
* Controlling the risks posed by organisms modified by biotechnology.
* Promoting public participation, particularly when it comes to assessing the
environmental impacts of development projects that threaten biological diversity.
* Educating people and raising awareness about the importance of biological
diversity and the need to conserve it.
* Reporting on how each country is meeting its biodiversity goals.
5 - What Are the Next Steps?
Some of the major challenges to implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity
and promoting sustainable development are:
* Meeting the increasing demand for biological resources caused by pop. growth and
increased consumption, while considering the long-term consequences of our actions.
* Increasing capacity to document and understand biodiversity, its value, and threats to it.
* Building adequate expertise and experience in biodiversity planning.
* Improving policies, legislation, guides, & fiscal measures for regulating biodiversity use.
* Adopting incentives to promote more sustainable forms of biodiversity use.
* Promoting trade rules and practices that foster sustainable use of biodiversity.
* Strengthening coordination within governments, and b/n governments and stakeholders.
* Securing adequate financial resources for conservation and sustainable use, from both
national and international sources.
* Making better use of technology.
* Building political support for the changes necessary to ensure biodiversity conservation
and sustainable use.
* Improving education and public awareness about the value of biodiversity.
Thematic programmes and "cross-cutting" issues
Financial and technical support
The Biosafety Protocol
Sharing the benefits of genetic resources
Traditional knowledge