Conservation Biology

Photo from Greg Dimijian

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines

Conservation Biology is grounded in Science

Biology Biogeography Genetics Ecology Evolution Fisheries Science Forestry Physiology Wildlife Biology

Anthropology

Chemistry

Economics

History

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Religion

Sociology

Etc.

Conservation Biology draws from many disciplines

For ethical, practical & theoretical considerations

Guiding Principles of Conservation Biology

(1) Evolution is the basis for understanding biology

(2) Biological entities are complex and dynamic

(3) Humans are a part of the natural world; our activities range from highly

destructive, through benign, to extremely helpful

A.D.2000

A.D.1000

A.D.1

1000B.C.

2000B.C.

3000B.C.

4000B.C.

5000B.C.

6000B.C.

7000B.C.

1+ million years

8

7

6

5

2

1

4

3

OldStoneAge New Stone Age

BronzeAge

IronAge

MiddleAges

ModernAge

Black Death —The Plague

9

10

11

12

A.D.3000

A.D.4000

A.D.5000

18001900

1950

1975

2000

2100

?Future

Billions ofPeople

Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population

Humans

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

Less Developed Regions

More Developed Regions

Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Billions ofPeople

Human Population

Humans

Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population Projected % Population Change, 2005-2050

Humans

Millions Millions

300 100 100 300300 200 100 0 100 200 300

Less Developed Regions

More Developed Regions

Male Female Male Female

80+ 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14

5-90-4

Age

Image from the Population Reference Bureau © 2006

Human Population Age distributions, 2005

Humans

~ 10,000 new babies will be added to the populationduring the course of this class period

Human Population

Population Counter (“Clock”)

Humans

Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al. (2006)

Humans are globally significant consumersof natural resources

Original range map & color-enhanced old photo from Gymnosperm Database; other map from Keddy et al. (2006)

Humans are globally significant consumersof natural resources

Image from Vitousek et al. (1997) Science

“Between one-third and one-half of the land surface

has been transformed by human action”, i.e.,

human enterprise (Vitousek et al. 1997,

Science)

Humans are globally significant consumersof natural resources

At least 83% of the Earth’s land surface has been

transformed by human activities

(Sanderson et al. 2002, BioScience)

Quote from Palumbi (2001) Science

E.g., consider antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus

Penicillin 1946

Methicillin 1961

Vancomycin 1986

Zyvox 1999

Humans are globally important agents ofnatural selection

“Humans are the world’s greatest evolutionary force”

Newsweek – Jan. 12, 2009 – “It’s Survival of the Weak & Scrawny”

+ =

Increases in tuskless adults:

A Zambian population – 2% to 38%

A South African population – 2% to 98%

The Sri Lankan population of Asian elephants – 45% to 90%

Humans are globally important agents ofnatural selection

Photo from Wikipedia

Coined “conservation ethic”

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalistsin the U. S.

Gifford Pinchot (1865 – 1946)

First Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (1905 – 1910)

Resource Conservation EthicUtilitarian, anthropocentric “natural resource” philosophy;

“the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time”

Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) Walden (1854)

John Muir (1838 – 1914) Founded Sierra Club (1892)

Image of Emerson, photos of Thoreau and T. Roosevelt with Muir from Wikipedia

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalistsin the U. S.

Romantic-Transcendental Conservation Ethic“Nature has uses other than human economic gain;” biophilia

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) Nature (1836)

Photo of Leopold from Oregon State University

Evolutionary-Ecological Land EthicArose together with the Modern Synthesis and maturing ecological theory; recognizes the complexity, interconnectedness (including

humans) and dynamism of Nature

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalistsin the U. S.

Aldo Leopold (1887 – 1948)

A Sand County Almanac (1949)

Photo of Carson from Wikipedia

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalistsin the U. S.

Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)

Silent Spring (1962) – motivated creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Conservation Biology is a “crisis discipline”

Photo of Soulé from hawaiiconservation.org

Conservation Biologists / Environmentalistsin the U. S.

Michael Soulé

Co-founder of the Society for Conservation Biology (1985)