Areas of biological significance

1. Areas of biological significance

2. Learning outcomes All of you should be able to: • Identify an area of biological significance that has been threatened by human activity Most of you should be able to: • Describe the ecological, socio-political and economic pressures affecting the area • Describe the threat to biodiversity

3. Areas of biological significance There are 4 areas of biological significance pasted around the room. • The Great Barrier Reef • The Galapagos Islands • Yosemite National Park • Chihuahuan Desert • Have any of you heard of these locations before? • Discuss what you know about them with a partner

4. Activity Complete your sheet using the information on the posters that are stuck around the room. You need to identify where the area is located, why it has significant biological interest and the pressure that are causing degradation to the site.

5. Conservation Leaflet • Choose one of the sites of biological significance • Create a leaflet giving information about the site. Include the following details: • Why is it a site of biological significance? • What are the threats that are affecting the area? • How is this affecting the biodiversity? • Conservation methods that you recommend • Make sure that it is attractive and would get the public’s attention.

6. The Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the north-east coast of Australia. It contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. It also holds great scientific interest as the habitat of species such as the dugong (‘sea cow’) and the large green turtle, which are threatened with extinction. Climate changeClimate change is the biggest threat to the reef’s future. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Outlook Report for the Great Barrier Reef in 2009 stated: “the threats of increasing sea temperature, ocean acidification and rising sea level are assessed as very high risk to the ecosystem.” Coral bleachingThe reef has already experienced two mass coral bleaching events – in 1998 and 2002. Bleaching was more severe in 2002, when aerial surveys showed that almost 60% of reefs experienced bleaching of some degree.  PollutionSediment, nutrient and pesticide pollution from catchment run-off is also affecting the health and resilience of the reef ecosystem.  Nutrient loads have also increased, encouraging algal blooms, which, in turn, provide food for larvae of the devastating crown-of-thorns starfish. In addition, nearly one-third of the reef is now exposed to pesticides. Overfishing The reef subject to high levels of fishing pressure. Fishing practices, such as trawling for prawns, are permitted in over one-third of the marine park, resulting in untargeted fish capture (bycatch), and damage to  the seafloor and its resident plants and animals. IndustrialisationThe Great Barrier Reef is under threat from the most widespread, rapid and damaging set of industrial developments in Queensland’s history. The Queensland Government is fast-tracking dredging and dumping of millions of tonnes of seabed and rock, and encouraging increased shipping through the narrow straits between reefs. The Australian Government is considering approval of these developments, including the world’s biggest coal port at Abbot Point, 50 km from the Whitsunday Islands.  http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/oceans_and_marine/priority_ocean_places/great_barrier_reef/threats/

7. Yosemite National Park The expansive park’s 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles are home to hundreds of wildlife species and thousands of Yosemite plants. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and biological diversity.  Yosemite is located in California and supports more than 400 species of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Insects abound as well, with the recent discovery of two species not believed to exist anywhere else in the world. The high diversity of animal species falls in line with striking elevational gradient and topographic variability of the park. Air pollution Air pollution is currently recognized as one of the most significant threats to the resources of the Sierra Nevada. Sources are local, regional, and in some instances, global. Global Warming A pattern of warming during the past 30 years in the Yosemite region has resulted in thinner snowpacks. All climate models show a warmer future in central California, with temperatures at least 5° to 10° Fahrenheit higher by the end of the century, especially at higher elevations. Why can't this temperature change simply be assumed to be a natural variation? Scientists attribute the ongoing warming to society's emission of greenhouse gases that persist for long periods in the atmosphere. Invasive species Invasive species have a negative impact on natural resources across America, including in Yosemite National Park. Non-native animal species, like the New Zealand mud snail, concerns park scientists because this species can completely cover a river streambed, thereby altering the ecosystem. Plant species, like Himalayan blackberry, can form impenetrable thickets that replace native vegetation. It is much easier to prevent the spread of invasive species than to try to eradicate them once they are introduced. http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/index.htm

8. Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands, 1,000km west of Ecuador, are distinguished by remarkable wildlife found nowhere else in the world: the Galapagos tortoise, the world’s only seagoing lizards, the flightless cormorant, Darwin’s finches and the Galapagos penguin. The islands are also distinguished by the degree to which they have remained relatively intact, retaining nearly all their original biodiversity. Today, however, the islands are under threat from overgrazing, over-harvesting of marine resources, tourism and introduced non-native animals such as goats and pigs. WWF has worked in the Galapagos since 1961, protecting key sites and wildlife populations, as well as supporting scientific research, environmental education and protected areas management. Economic growth Economic growth and unregulated development threaten the fragile ecosystem. Socio-political demands to increase local access to natural resources and public services have grown with the increasing human population; these demands have created new social and political stresses in the islands. The islands are in an accelerating cycle of economic and population growth driven by the growth in tourism. This cycle has, in turn, increased threats to biodiversity through higher probabilities of arrival of invasive species and more frequent pollution events. But there are real threats nevertheless. They include overgrazing, man-made fires, poaching, over-harvesting of marine resources, tourism and agriculture. The islands’ many reefs are also under the pressure from various human activities. Fishing and harvesting Several animal species native to the Galapagos Islands are gradually disappearing as a direct result fishing and collecting. Illegal poaching of rare or even endangered species and the harvesting of several prized marine species are both on the rise, as international demand for local products such as sea cucumbers and shark fins has grown. Human presence on the islands has also brought pollution and habitat destruction to this once pristine environment. Tourism Although tourism has helped promote better conservation, the growing traffic of people and goods has increased the possibility of species introduction -- a major threat to the fragile ecosystem. Introduced species, including rats and domesticated animals such as goats and pigs, compete with native species for food and prey on the eggs and young of reptiles and birds. http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g25_threat.html http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/615/ http://wwf.panda.org/?uProjectID=9L0813 http://www.savegalapagos.org/galapagos/issues-in-galapagos-1.shtml

9. Chihauhuan desert The Chihuahuan Desert covers an area of about 362,600km2 (or 140,000 square miles). It is the third largest desert entirely within the Western Hemisphere and the second largest in North America, after the Great Basin Desert. Chihuahuanis home to more than 130 mammals, 3,000 plant species (1,000 are endemic), over 500 bird species and 110 native freshwater fish. The Chihuahuan Desert, shared by two nations, is one of the most biologically rich desert ecoregions in the world, alive with large mammals, birds, reptiles and an unmatched diversity of cactus species. The desert’s rivers, streams and springs are considered to be of global significance, home to fish species found nowhere else on earth. Extending from the southeastern US states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas deep into central Mexico, the Chihuahuan Desert offers a kaleidoscope of textures and colours that shape its unique landscapes. Pronghorn antelope, mule deer and grey fox roam the vast grasslands of the northern desert, while roadrunners, reptiles, jackrabbits and eagles live in the desert scrub.Other desert wildlife includes the jaguar (Felisonca), collared peccary (Pecaritajacu), bighorn sheep (Oviscanadensis), Mexican blackheaded snake (Tantillaatriceps) and greater earless lizard (Cophosaurustexanus). While the river supports an exceptional array of wildlife, water withdrawals as a result of population growth and intensive agricultural activities are threatening the health of this all important cross-border ecosystem. Overgrazing, invasive species and mining are also taking their toll on the environment. The magnificent landscape is threatened by an ever-increasing human population, water misuse and mismanagement, overgrazing by cattle and goats, and a lack of knowledge regarding the desert's ecological importance.  Human land-use While some of the inaccessible, montane parts of the Chihuahuan Desert region have floral and faunal communi­ties that are at least relatively intact, much of the desert has been heavily disturbed by human land use. Overgraz­ing, water diversion, aquifer “mining” (pumping at an unsustainable rate), and overcollecting of native plants and animals are considered the greatest threats to biodiversity in the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion. Water use Problems arise as urban areas in the desert continue to expand and fertile desert soils are put into agricultural production. Up to 99 percent of the water in the perennial rivers of the Chihuahuan Desert is diverted to municipal water supplies or to irrigate fields. Climate change As warmer, drier conditions prevailed and heavy grazing continued, thousands of acres of Chihuahuan Desert grasslands were converted to desert shrubland, a process that continues to this day. In addition to climate change and overgrazing, certain water-use practices are having significant impacts on the desert. With climatic warming and drying over the past 10,000 years, water sources dried up, tributaries became isolated from the main rivers. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/bulletin/2002/03-06/16-17.pdf http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwfbinaryitem2757.pdf http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/chihuahuan_desert/