Biodiversity: ��Who cares?

Which do you like better?

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B

Which do you like better?

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B

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

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B

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

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B

Which do you like better?

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B

What do you think biodiversity means?

Bio =

Biodiversity

What does “Bio” mean?

Biodiversity

Diversity = Variety

What does “Diversity” mean?

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth and the essential interdependence of all living things

• Scientists have identified more than 1.4 million species. Tens of millions -- remain unknown (www.thecatalogueoflife.org)

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• The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by complex interactions among all living things including micro-oganisms.

There are 3 components of biodiversity

1. Diversity of genes�Chihuahuas, beagles, and rottweilers are all the same species —but they're not the same because there is variety in their genes.

Chihuahua

Beagle

Rottweilers

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2. Diversity of number of species�For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow beauties are all different species.

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Saki Monkey

Golden Skimmer

Meadow Beauty

There are 3 components of biodiversity

3. Variety of ecosystems�

Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers are all Freshwater Ecosystems.

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Rocky coast, Sand Dune, Estuary, Salt Marsh , Coral Reef are all Marine Ecosystems.

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So what’s an ECOSYSTEM???

There are 3 components of biodiversity

ECOSYSTEM DEFINITION

“ A self-contained community of microorganisms, animals and plants, that interact with each other and with their physical environment.”

eg a rock pool

Within an ecosystem there can be many HABITATS

• This is the physical and chemical description of where a creature lives...

HABITATS might describe:

• The NAME of the place where the creature lives.

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• eg Arctic Canada is the habitat of the polar bear Ursa maritima.

HABITATS might describe:

• The DOMINANT VEGETATION of the place where the creature lives.

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• eg Heather moorland is the habitat of the grouse.

HABITATS might describe:

• The TYPE of place where the creature lives.

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• eg species of fish like Pike (Esox lucius) are found in freshwater lakes and ponds.

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• So what’s a SPECIES??

A species is difficult to define exactly!!

1. A group of morphologically similar creatures which can:

• Interbreed to produce fertile offspring
• Are ‘reproductively isolated’.

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• Problems with this definition include…

• Extinct creatures eg T. rex
• Creatures who breed asexually eg bacteria
• Creatures who can’t be tested ethically eg Man x Chimp

2. Creatures who are related through PHYLOGENY

• Similar DNA
• Similar proteins eg in blood
• Similar biochemistry
• Similar embryology

DNA profiles of Primates

• % DNA similar
• 100
• 99
• 98
• 97
• 96
• 95
• 94
• 93

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• Gibbon Orang Utan Gorilla Chimp Man

Humans share 98-99% of their DNA with Chimps. They are our closest living relatives.

Why is a list of species not ‘Biodiversity’?

Which is more diverse?

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B

Which is more diverse?

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B

Which is more diverse?

Which is more diverse?

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B

Which has more cultural diversity?

Which has more biodiversity?

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B

Which has more biodiversity?

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B

Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value

Intrinsic Value = Something that has value

in and of itself

Biodiversity also has Utilitarian Value

Utilitarian Value = the value something has as a means to another’s end.

Utilitarian values include:

• Goods eg sustainable timber
• Services eg eco-tourism
• Information eg National Park Wardens

What do we get from biodiversity?

Oxygen

Food

Clean Water

Medicine

Aesthetics

Ideas

Should we be concerned about biodiversity?

What we know: �The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate

• Some scientists estimate that as many as 3 species per hour are going extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur each year.
• when species of plants and animals go extinct, many other species are affected.

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Threats to biodiversity

Habitat destruction

Pollution

Species Introductions

Global Climate Change

Exploitation

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BIODIVERSITY

GOALS OF CONVENTION

ON BIODIVERSITY

• > 100,000 plant/animal species lost in last 5 years
• Habitat loss is biggest current threat to biodiversity
• Deforestation and forest degradation has increased

since the Rio Earth Summit

BIODIVERSITY

• How many species are there?

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-- 1.4 million named species (70% of which are invertebrates)

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-- estimated 3 to 50 million species alive!

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WHAT THREATENS

BIODIVERSITY?

• Background extinction (95% of all extinctions)
• Mass extinction

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BIODIVERSITY

• 1 mammal species

every 400 years

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• 1 bird species/200 yrs

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Now…………...

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• 10,000 times the

background rate!

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• 20-75 plant/animal

species each day?

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Background rates

ENDANGERED VS

THREATENED

Threatened: population low but extinction less imminent

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Endangered: nos so low that extinction imminent

THE GREATEST THREAT

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION

SYSTEM REGULATORS

75% water

recycled by

ET

25% water

lost in runoff

Ground cover removal (%)

Effective runoff (mm)

0 100

1000

RATES OF DEFORESTATION

1981-1990:

• 0.9%/year
• 53,000 sq. mi./year
• 21,000 sq. mi. in

South America (Amz)

= area of NC

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• By 1988, +/- 10% of

the Amazon had been

cut down

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• Due to isolation of

fragments and in

forest/clearing

boundaries = 16%

affected by deforestation

http://www.rainforestweb.org/

• Swidden agriculture (slash-and-burn)

> 60% of deforestation

> Rapid decline in soil productivity (nutrient storage?)

> Can be sustainable

-- (15 - 20 year rotation)

> Inequitable land ownership (e.g., Brazil where only 5% of

farmers own land)

CAUSES

• Commercial logging

• 21% of deforestation
• creaming of the most valuable hardwoods
• 1-2 trees per hectare taken (widespread damage)
• clearcut versus selective

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CAUSES

• Cattle ranching

• 12% of deforestation
• frequently aided by government subsidies
• 2 trees destroyed for each hamburger made from

“tropical forest beef”

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CAUSES

WHY DEFORESTATION?

WHY DEFORESTATION?

• Complex

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• Many underlying social problems giving impetus to deforestation:

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> over-consumption in industrialized countries

> foreign debt

> poverty

> unequal ownership of land

> overpopulation

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Deforestation

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

1. The need to preserve intact sections of tropical forest

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> The question of “edge communities”

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

2. The need to address the economic needs of the lesser

developed nations in which all of the tropical

forests reside

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> Are the ideas of commercial development and maintaining

the health of the environment mutually exclusive?

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

• Broad-scale commercial and conservation strategies need to be

developed but these must take into account the economic and

environmental constraints of the particular country (i.e., detailed

local knowledge!)

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• There must be designated core and buffer conservation zones

centered around areas of particular endemism (other areas can

be designated for limited sustainable commercial activities

(polycyclic logging, selective extraction of forest products etc.)

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Total area: 39 ha; core: 2 Total area: 42 ha; core: 25

Core

Buffer

Multiple-use

Research and training

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Tourist facility

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Human settlement

CREDITOR

US$ 11 m

WWF may initiate

discussion between

parties, acts as an

intermediary, and

facilitates negotiations

WWF may design conservation criteria by which

grants made from the fund will be evaluated and/or oversee the fund’s management

Commercial Debt for Nature Swaps

STEP 1

STEP 2

US$ 28 m

of debt

NGO

(WWF)

US$ 28 m

of debt

is cancelled

DEBTOR

GOVERNMENT

US$ 25 m

local currency

equivalent

STEP 3

CONSERVATION

PROJECT FUND

Assumes: 40% debt purchase price

90% payment in local currency

BIODIVERSITY

http://www.nesarc.org/

http://www.stopextinction.org/

http://www.audubon.org/campaign/esa/esa.html

http://endangered.fws.gov/