Managing Biodiversity You need to UNDERSTAND the concept of sustainable yield

How do they measure the sustainable level? Maximum sustainable yield- greatest harvest that can be taken indefinitely while leaving the ecosystem intact. Harvesting wild plants, animals or fish is part of the subsistence lifestyle of indigenous people and is usually sustainable. Over harvesting or overexploitation are usually the result of commercial rather than subsistence activity. When activities such as shooting elephants for ivory or harvesting shellfish and logging in natural forests- the targets and their habitats are under threat Optimum sustainable yield- best compromise achievable in the light of all the economic and social considerations. This will not destroy the aesthetic or recreational value of the ecosystem and will therefore allow multiple use for the maximum benefit to the community. In order to manage fish/ wildlife mathematical models have been developed to estimate the CARRYING CAPACITY (CC). This is maximum human population that can exist in equilibrium with the available resources (food, nutrients, etc). The major problem is that the CC varies seasonally and over time can be reduced by Climate Change Sustainable Yield= key part of sustainable ecosystem management. It represents the safe level of harvest that can be hunted/ caught/ utilised without harming the individual ecosystem.

MSY in practice Carrying capacity Carefully controlled harvesting allows population growth OSY lower than MSY, so ecosystem still has high aesthetic value Maximum sustained yield halfway between 0 and the CC Intense competition for food No cover against predators Mortality high, population reproducti on low Population declines for natural reasons, more rapidly if over harvesting occurs Population begins to be threatened by over harvesting

Sustainable Yields in the Southern Ocean Managed since 1961 since the Antarctic treaty came into force Whaling is banned No culling of fur or elephant seals Limits placed on krill taking Protection of penguins and other Antarctic sea birds, as they being in food web have an impact on sea stocks Environmental protection in place- no military action or waste dumping, so air pollution kept to minimum Few visitors, mainly scientists and some seasonal tourists, but little noise pollution

Sustainable use of the Savanna CAMPFIRE- developed in the Zimbabwean Savanna in late 1980s Local people have responsibility for area Communities always to receive direct benefits from resource exploitation- including wildlife Scheme in collapse since political instability in the country Also some disagreed with the scheme because it included allowing certain numbers of elephants being killed

Task Using the info from this PowerPoint and the work you did on the 3 contrasting areas and how far they have been protected over the summer (Udzungwa mountains, Soufriere and the Masai Mara How do you think an ecosystem should be managed? Why?

The key players in management? Brainstorm ALL the players you think are involved Players in ecosystem management Scientists and researchers Transnational and private enterprise International organisations National governments Local and regional governments Artists and poets NGOs Local farmers Indigenous people stakeholders Individuals Special interest groups

Global Players There are 150 wildlife treaties in place Such things require a number of nations to sign before becoming law Most involve funding conservation work, designating protected areas, or regulating endangered species The 5 most important treaties in place today are RAMSAR Convention- wetland conservation signed adopted by 147 countries World Heritage Convention- to designate and protect outstanding cultural and natural sites- signed 1972, by over 180 countries The Convention on International trade in Endangered Species- signed in 1973, adopted by 166 countries The convention on the conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was signed in 1979 and by 2005 adopted by 90 countries to prevent shooting of birds in passage The UN Convention on the Law of the sea- ratified by 148 countries

Other global players Transnational cooperation's are involved, have say in which goods/ services are mostly exploited- increasingly they are moving to greener strategies for long term benefit and to improve public image They also drive innovation and technology, sometimes for the common good, but sometimes to the detriment of the ecosystem involved Other international institutions which are involved- UN agencies, World Bank, World Trade Organisation and the International Tropical Timber Organisation Non government Organisations- such as Greenpeace and WWF provide vital biodiversity conservation WWF works in over 100 countries- it’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planets natural environment and build an environment where people live in harmony with nature Others are smaller such as FAN (A small NGO working in Eastern Bolivia to conserve biodiversity by using natural resources in a sustainable way) and Yadfon.

National Players Government- regulate and facilitate Regulation- establish and enforce laws to conserve genetic biodiversity, protect various areas and species and regulate damaging activities such as using polluting agro chemicals or releasing invasive species They also manage natural resources providing clean air water or open space They fund preservation conservation and development, often through taxes and subsidies Positive incentives to conserve are increasingly used, e.g. paying farmers to be stewards of the landscape and to farm in environmentally friendly ways

Local players Indigenous people are often dependant on biodiversity for basic survival For many local biodiversity has spiritual significance Locals have good knowledge of local plants and their uses, e.g. traditional medicine Local fishers/ farmers can conflict with conservationists because they live a subsistence lifestyle relying on the ecosystem for survival Ecosystem management issues are increasingly in previously remote areas like the Amazon and Antarctica- as more people visit pressures arise Some individuals can join together to form special interest groups- they can degrade delicate areas Conflict can arise from scientists hunting for new drugs, species with indigenous people who just want to continue their existence

Individual players Most diverse group of all All having individual morals, beliefs and needs on each ecosystem In OECD countries ethical consumerism is increasing people buying dolphin friendly tuna.

Strategies and policies Scientific Reserve Exploitation with token protection Tolerant forest management Economic development integrated into conservation Extractive reserves Community wildlife management Wildlife Reserves and parks

How best to protect? Total protection? Biosphere reserves Leave to exploit Conserve certain areas In the 60s total protection was favoured, in 80s local voices were heard and biosphere reserves were created leaving some land to locals and fencing off the rest. In more recent times economic and social aspects of biodiversity more taken into account- ie ecotourism What problems with this approach?

Conservation priorities? Some want to target HOTSPOTS as they are areas of maximum diversity and are under greatest threat WWF favours a broader approach in which representative areas of land and sea known as eco- regions are targeted to save a max of variety of habitats and species Some say focus should be a poorer regions of world as costs are lower. Some question focus of conservation on high interest animals like Pandas and tigers

Restoring degraded areas The ultimate conservation challenge i.e. Recreating wetlands Or linking fragmented reserve areas to make larger reserves easier to manage and more biodiverse These schemes rely on how degraded land is the more degraded and polluted the harder it is An example of this is the Great Fens recreation project in East Anglia, UK.

Conservation Other approaches to conservation, ex situ conservation, e.g. captive breeding of endangered animals in zoos. Zoos also contain biodiversity banks such as seed banks for plants Several species have been saved in this way such as Scimitar horned Oryx, bred at Marwell Zoo and re released into Arabia Giant pandas are also being bred in captivity to increase numbers Some people do not like zoos feeling sorry for captive animals, but they play a vital role in education of people and allowing people to see animals they otherwise may not see

Task 1) Produce short fact files on each of the varying management strategies a)Buffer zones b)Biosphere reserves c)Global agreements like CITES d)Gene banks e)Restoration f)Captive breeding 2) Assess the relative advantages and disadvantages of each method of management