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Threats to Biodiversity
Lesson Aims
To understand the main threats to biodiversity
World Resource Institute (WRI)
Unsustainably high population growth and resource consumption
Inequality in the ownership, management and flow of benefits which threaten the livelihoods of the world’s poorest
Concentration of agriculture, forestry and fishing on a narrowing spectrum of products
Economic system developed by governments and business that fail to value the environment and its resources
World Resource Institute (WRI)
Legal and institutional systems that promote unsustainable exploitation at the expense of more sustainable options
Lack of knowledge and understanding in the management and conservation of biodiversity
Potential threats???
Threats to Biodiversity
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TASK
Use the print out (p103-p104) to write an answer to the following question:
“WHAT ARE THE THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY?”
Case Study: Galapagos Islands
Case Study: Galapagos Islands Why is it a hotspot? - It’s a hotspot because of
their endemism and the severe threat facing the unique ecosystem
What is the threat? – invasive species from mainland Ecuador were introduced in order to bolster fishing and tourism
Case Study: Galapagos Islands
Up to 60% of the 180 species if endemic plant are considered ‘threatened’
Recorded 490 introduced insect species, with 55 of these as ‘high risk’ to cause severe damage to native biodiversity
18 introduced vertebrate species introduced, with 13 considered harmful
Mainland snake predators could soon establish themselves
Case Study: Galapagos Islands What’s being done? –
eradication of feral cats and rodents, rounding up stray dogs and removing the quinine tree, a serious alien plant invader.
What’s the biggest pressure? – the thousands of tourists who visit every year to marvel at what Charles Darwin first saw in 1835
Case Study: Borneo
Case Study: Borneo
Borneo is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The vegetation is tropical rainforest and supports a wide range of biodiversity
One of Malaysia’s main exports is palm oil, which is used in lipstick, soap and cooking oil.
To set up the monoculture the areas is cleared, first by felling commercial timber and then burning the rest