3.6: Two Approaches to Conserving Biodiversity

1. 3.6: Two Approaches to Conserving Biodiversity Chapter 18-day 3 The SLOSS Debate

2. Human Causes of Species Endangerment

3. Conservation Biology • Scientific study of how humans impact organisms and the development of ways to protect biodiversity • Involves: • Protecting habitats • Restoring damaged or destroyed habitats • Zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens • Seed banks

4. Conservation Biology • In-Situ: in nature • Protecting Habitats • restoration ecology • Ex-Situ: out of nature • zoos, aquaria, , botanical gardens, seed banks 4

5. In-situ: Protecting Habitats

6. In-situ: Restoring Damaged Habitats • Restoration ecology • Goal is to return it to its former state • Ex: Reforestation in Panama • Benefits • Creates biological habitats • Regeneration of soil damaged by agriculture or mining • Disadvantages • Expensive • Take a long time to restore an area

7. In-situ Restoring Damaged Habitats Left: (1935) Early stages of prairie restoration

8. Ex-situ: Zoos, Aquaria and Botanical Garden • Save organisms from extinction • Artificial insemination • Embryo transfer • Surrogate mothers (right) • Goal reintroduction back to their natural habitat

9. Embryo Storage & Surrogates Video 9

10. Captive Breeding of Parrots Video 10

11. The Single Species ApproachCaptive Breeding video • Channel Islands, CA: Island Fox 11

12. Seed Banks video 12

13. Endangered and Threatened Species • Endangered Species • Species that faces threats that may cause it to become extinct within a short period • Threatened Species • Species whose population has declined to the point that it may be at risk of extinction

14. Characteristic of Endangered Species • Extremely small (localized) range • Requiring a large territory • Living on an island • Having a low reproductive success • Small population size • Low reproductive rates • Requiring specialized breeding areas • Having specialized feeding habitats

15. California Condor • Scavenger bird • Requires large, undisturbed territory • 1983- only 22 birds • 1987-1992- no longer found in nature • 1992- reintroduced to nature from zoos • Currently- 200 condors in nature

16. Where is Declining Biological Diversity the Greatest Problem? • Concern throughout the US • US- Most serious in: • Hawaii (63% of species at risk) • California (29% of species at risk) • Globally- Most serious in tropical rain forests • South and Central America • Central Africa • SE Asia

17. Lacey Act (1900) • Prohibited the transport of illegally harvested game animals, primarily birds and mammals, across state lines.

18. CITES(1973) • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora • Control the international trade of threatened plants and animals. • Today, CITIES is an international agreement between 175 countries of the world.

19. Red List • The IUCN keeps a list of threatened species, known as the red list. • Each country has its own way to monitor and regulate the import and export of animals on the list. • Black market animal trade ~$20 billion annually

20. Conservation Legislation • Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)- prohibits the killing of all marine mammals in the U.S. and prohibits the import or export of any marine mammal body parts.

21. Endangered Species Act • Species are designated as endangered or threatened based on biological grounds Controversial Legislation • Does not provide compensation for private property owners who suffer financial loss • Was not reauthorized in 1992 as scheduled: • Private property rights vs. conservation • Financial cost of law

22. The Northern Spotted Owl Not Just Jobs Versus the Environment

23. Interest Groups The livelihood of thousands of loggers Large tracts of old-growth(virgin) forests The Northern Spotted Owl (Endangered Species)

24. Significance of Old Growth • Ancient organisms(2000 years old) • Uneven-aged stands: structural complexity • Limited geographic area: Pacific North West and Alaska • Living laboratories of natures complexity NOT understood yet • Home to 40 T/E species

25. Commercial Significance of Old Growth Forests • Rural communities of the Pacific NW depend solely on timber industry • No diversity in the local economy • “Save a logger, kill and owl”

26. Economics and the Environmental Sustainability • In the 1980’s the timber industry was declining. • Logging INCREASED by 15% • Jobs DECREASED by 15%

27. Why Timber Industry Declined • AUTOMATION of the industry • UNSUSTAINABLE cutting practices • States Diversifies their economies • Timber Industry’s share to OR & WA state economies was just 4%

28. Political Solution • 1993 President Clinton calls for a Timber Summit in Portland, OR • Created the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan

29. Northwest Forest Plan Details • Job re-training for loggers (“Jobs for the Environment”) • Logging was resumed at 1/5 the level prior • 75% of the federal timber land “reserved” to safeguard watersheds and protect T/E species

30. Success Stories • Bald Eagle • Gray Wolf • American Alligator • Gray whale

31. Habitat Conservation Plans • 1982 Amendment to ESA • Way to resolve conflicts between development interests and protection of endangered species • Landowner may take a rare species • IF taking does not threatened the survival of recovery of the species on that property • Landowner must set aside land for species

32. Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) • The treaty had three objectives: • 1) conserve biodiversity • 2) sustainably use biodiversity • 3) and equitably share the benefits that emerge from the commercial use of genetic resources such as pharmaceutical drugs.

33. Wildlife Management • Manage wild species and their habitats for human benefit or for the welfare of other species

34. Wildlife Management • Migratory Animals • Ex: Arctic Snow Geese- increase in population has damaged much of Arctic fragile coastal ecosystem

35. Size, Shape and Connectedness • how close to another area they should be • how large the area is • the amount of edge habitat the area contains.

36. SLOSS- Biosphere Reserves • .

37. You Can Make A Difference • Increase public awareness of the importance of biological diversity • Join and actively support conservation organization • Inform state and national politicians of desire to have conservation research funded with tax dollars • Establish parks by writing to national lawmakers • Control pollution

38. Preserving Forests through Sustainable Economic Jobs Creation • Golden Tamarin Monkeys 38