Protecting Endangered Species

Conservation Biology Many of the problems that face our environment are the consequences of human enterprises Interference by humans is the worlds largest threat to wild species It is our scientific, political and moral obligation to help some of these species that we have harmed

Conservation Biology Conservation biology is the goal driven branch of biology that centers around the changes happening to our planet from a biotic and an abiotic point of view Many conservation ecologists focus on the conservation of wild species

Conservation Biology Understanding how to conserve species can be a difficult endeavor Identifying, understanding and acting on a species can be a laborious process Unfortunately there are not as many people or funds trying to save the planet as there are trying to exploit it

Black Footed Ferret There is an organism called the black footed ferret This ferret was once seen throughout the plains through the US, Canada and Mexico This organism was thought to have numbered in the millions

Black Footed Ferret The black footed ferret are skilled hunters They make about 90% of its diet from prairie dogs However in the mid 1900’s prairie dog numbers were drastically reduced through hunting, poisoning and habitat destruction

Black Footed Ferret The final straw was when a disease came through the population and wiped out the remaining population This caused the black footed ferret population to drop to 18 individuals

Black Footed Ferret Biologists recognized the loss of this species and has been working to understand the biology of these organisms Currently there are breeding programs and programs to prevent habitat loss

Black Footed Ferret However the future for the black footed ferret is not safe They have undergone a genetic bottleneck and have very low genetic variability Breeding programs are trying to breed genetic variation back into the population, but it is a slow process

Video http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ferret_black_footed

Conservation vs Preservation Conservation of natural biota and ecosystems aims to sustainably use the resources that are in an ecosystem Preservation of natural biota and ecosystems aims to preserve the natural health of the ecosystem regardless of use

Conservation vs Preservation The difference is that conservation will find a way to use a resource at a level that is good for long period of time Preservation will find a way to make a resource last for a long period of time with or without use

Consumptive vs Productive Use In Congo, many of the people get their protein intake from “bush meat” This is wild game that is hunted from natural forests It can provide as much as 75% of a person’s protein intake

Consumptive vs Productive Use Many of the people in Congo need the meat in order to survive Without it they would be limiting their protein intake They are practicing consumptive use Consumptive use is the practice of taking what is needed to live from an ecosystem

Consumptive vs Productive Use However, there are many companies that are starting to realize the potential of the bush meat industry They are hunting game in large numbers and shipping the meat to cities

Consumptive vs Productive Use People in the city are eating the animals at an unsustainable level The forests are being hunted at a rapid rate that is unsustainable by the ecosystem This is an example of productive use Productive use is when a resource is used for profit

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDMFuOGyLsw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogsg8SRAGJc

Types of Issues Understanding what areas to designate as a preserve or for conservation is not a strict scientific issue The underlying causes for the reduction in biodiversity are social and economic issues

Types of Issues To truly address the issue of the loss of biodiversity, we have to look at the social and economic issues We have to come up with solutions that are also solutions for these underlying issues Unless we address all facets of the problem, we will not truly solve it

Costa Rica Costa Rica is a hot spot for biodiversity It is smaller than the size of New York State However it is home to over 500,000 species It has the most biodiversity per square mile of any area in the world

Video http://vimeo.com/74973586

Costa Rica Since it is such a hot spot of biodiversity, there have been numerous programs to setup preserve areas These zoned reserves are widespread areas of undisturbed forest that make up about 25% of Costa Rica’s land It allows the forest to survive without any human interference

Costa Rica The Costa Rican government has also put strict laws in the areas surrounding the forests These areas are lightly populated and they act as a buffer zone between the preserve and the rest of the country

Costa Rica These buffer zones allow the organisms to have access to other parts of the country It also is a zone that humans can use for resources such as lumber, tourism and solar power It is a way to get the best of both worlds

Landscape Ideas Understanding the idea that biodiversity must be cultivated, not quartered off is an important idea Remember a landscape is a group of interacting ecosystems Having these landscapes interact is a huge part of making biodiversity

Landscape Ideas When habitats are fragmented, biodiversity is lowered in all areas Linking separate ecosystems can be an effective way to conserve biodiversity and increase interactions among ecosystems

Landscape Ideas Movement corridors are areas where there are linkages between otherwise isolated ecosystems These promote biodiversity by having organisms able to access the resources from multiple ecosystems

Sustainable Development The idea that humans and the environment cannot exist together is a myth Humans have to understand how to respect and develop a working relationship with the environment This will lead to success for both parties

Sustainable Development Understanding that the goal should not be to use all of the resources of the earth is the first step to living with the earth Understanding how organisms interact with the world is the first step http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/

Sustainable Development The goal of our development should not be the easiest and fastest option It should be a well thought through plan that take the environment, human health and the sustainability of the planet into account

Sustainable Development Sustainable development is the idea that we build and develop while taking human need and environmental need into account The goal of sustainable development should be to leave a total footprint that the planet can absorb