Upload
dennis-copeland
View
218
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future Richard T. Wright
Wild Species and BiodiversityPPT by Clark E. Adams
Chapter 10
Wild Species and Biodiversity
The value of wild species Saving wild species Biodiversity and its decline Protecting Biodiversity
Appreciating the Worth of Diversity
The worth ($) of plant and animal diversity in terms of goods and services
Factors that contribute to a reduction in plant and animal diversity
Understanding the “costs” of losing plant and animal diversity
Programs to protect biodiversity
Puffin Project: Seabird RestorationProject of the Audubon Society
The Value of Wild Species
Biological wealth Two kinds of value Sources for agriculture, forestry,
aquaculture, and animal husbandry Sources for medicine Recreational, aesthetic, and scientific
value Value for their own sake
Biological Wealth = $38 Trillion/Year
Gas, climate, and water regulation Water supply Erosion control Soil formation Pollination
Biological Wealth = $38 Trillion/Year
Biological control Food production Recreation Raw materials Nutrient cycling Waste treatment
Two Kinds of Value
Instrumental: beneficial to humans Sources for agriculture, forestry, aquaculture,
and animal husbandry Recreational, aesthetic, and scientific value Sources of medicine
Intrinsic: value for its own sake
Source for Agriculture: Wild or Cultivated?
Highly adaptable to changing environments
Have numerous traits for resistance Lack genetic vigor
Source for Agriculture: Wild or Cultivated?
High degree of genetic diversity Represents the genetic bank Need highly controlled environmental
conditions
Sources for Medicine: Vincristine
Sources of Medicine: Table 10-1
Vincristine from rosy periwinkle cures leukemia. Capoten from the venom of the Brazilian viper
controls high blood pressure. Taxol from the bark of the pacific yew used to
treat ovarian, breast, and small-cell cancers.
Recreational, Aesthetic, and Scientific Value
Ecotourism: largest foreign exchange-generating enterprise in many developing countries
$104 billion spent on wildlife-related recreation
$31 billion spent to observe, feed, or photograph wildlife
Recreational, Aesthetic, and Scientific Value
Value for Their Own Sake
Spiritual: giving divine recognition to selected species
Religious: association between wild things and a creator
Cultural: animal rights, American Indians
Saving Wild Species
Game animals in the United States Acts protecting endangered species
Past Wildlife Management Problems
Restoring the numbers of many game animals, e.g., deer, elk, turkey
Passing laws to control the collection and commercial exploitation of wildlife
Poaching and overhunting
Contemporary Wildlife Management Problems Road-killed animals Population explosion of urban wildlife Lack of natural predators Wildlife as vectors for certain diseases Pet predation by coyotes Changed societal attitudes towards animals
Acts Protecting Endangered Species
Lacey Act: forbids interstate commerce of illegally killed wildlife
Endangered Species Act (ESA): protects endangered and threatened species (Table 10-4) Total endangered U.S. species = 987 (388
animals, 599 plants) Threatened U.S. species = 276 (129 animals,
147 plants)
Strengths or Weaknesses of Endangered Species Act?
The need for official recognition Control over commercial exploitation of
endangered species Government controls on development in
critical habitats Recovery programs Habitat conservation plan (HCP)
Case Histories
Peregrine falcon Whooping crane Spotted owl Klamath river and coho salmon
Biodiversity and Its Decline
The decline in biodiversity Reasons for the decline Consequences of losing biodiversity
The Status of U.S. Species
Causes of Animal Extinctions
Reasons for Biodiversity Decline
Habitat alterations Conversions Fragmentation Simplification
Human population growth Pollution (Fig. 10-14)
Reasons for Biodiversity Decline
Introduction of exotic species, e.g., brown tree snake in Guam
Overuse: combination of greed, ignorance, and desperation
Habitat Alterations
Photo by C. E. Adams
Human Population Growth and Species Extinctions
Pollution: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
March 24, 1989 11 million gallons of
crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound
Oil slick
Exotic Species: Brazilian Pepper Bush
Overuse
Harvest of 50 million songbirds for food
Overuse
Trafficking in wildlife and products derived from wild species – $10 billion/year 90% decline in rhinos 1.6 tons of tiger bones = 340 tigers Parrot smuggling: 40 of 330 species face
extinction
Consequences of Losing Biodiversity: The Plane Analogy The whole plane is an ecosystem. There are many different parts (species) in
the jet plane ecosystem. How does removal of one or more species
affect ecosystem structure or function?
Protecting Biodiversity
International developments Stewardship concerns
International Steps to Protect Biodiversity “Red List of Threatened Species”
11,167 species of plants and animals Convention on trade in endangered
species (CITES) Focuses on trade in wildlife and wildlife parts
Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)
International Steps to Protect Biodiversity Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)
Stepping up war on invasive species Access to genetic resources Stem tide of deforestations Formulating a strategic plan through 2010
International Steps to Protect Biodiversity Convention on biological diversity
Focuses on conserving biological diversity worldwide
Does not yet have the support of the United States
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Sponsors: World Bank, Conservation International, and the Global Environment Facility Fund = $150 million for developing countries Protect biodiversity “hotspots”
Biodiversity Hotspots
60% of the biodiversity is located on just 1.4% of the Earth’s land surface.
Stewardship Concerns
Managing and protecting something you DO NOT own. Involves: Wisdom Values
The Wisdom of Stewardship
Reforming policies that lead to declines in biodiversity
Addressing the needs of people whose livelihood is derived from exploiting wild species
The Wisdom of Stewardship
Practicing conservation at the landscape level
Promoting more research on biodiversity
The Values of Stewardship
Manage or mine the resource? Human perceptions of their relationships
to the natural world Deep ecology: we are part of the Earth and
not separate from it Religious faiths
End of Chapter 10