Causes of Biodiversity Loss Canadian & World Issues

Development As population grows, landscape changes Settlements are growing into megacities Land uses are changed Rivers are dammed or diverted Modern agriculture & forestry techniques displace plants

Biotechnology Humans are now breeding new species in a lab Some new breeds of plants and animals have been helpful Scientists now creating new life forms with unknown effects New species modify habitats and destroy other species Research is expensive

Genetic Modification The total area of land around the world sown with genetically engineered crops increased 25 times between 1996 and 2000. A dramatic slowdown of this rate from 40% to 11% in between 1999 and 2000 may reflect public concern about the risks of these crops.

Use of Fossil Fuels Combustion of oil, natural gas, coal, and by-products like propane and gasoline pollute the air and increase the greenhouse effect CO2 content has increased more than 30% and methane content has increase 145% since pre-industrial times

Use of Fossil Fuels

Pollution Wastes, gases, and toxic chemicals from industry, energy production, sewage, fertilizers, transportation, and pesticides contaminate the air, soil, and water resources Contaminants are absorbed into the plants and animals We then eat those species!

Exploitation Commercial and recreation (fishing and hunting) overkill of a species Public demand for tropical hardwoods remains high Some animals seen as vermin or a threat, some used for “alternative medicine”

Poverty Globalization puts pressure on countries to build their economies – at the expense of their environments National debts in developing countries are often paid by clear cutting or cash crops Local dependence on the land is therefore even harder

“UN Environment Chief Targets Poverty” UNEP says the rich world is not doing enough to make sustainable development a realistic goal for every country. "The fundamental constraint to achieving sustainable development is social inequality and its associated evils: poverty and ignorance."

Bioinvasion Invasive species are ones that are not native to a particular ecosystem Pose threats to native species through competition for food Some “hitchhike”, others are intentionally introduced “Introductions, like extinctions, are forever.” Ellen Marsden

Life Out of Bounds “Bioinvasion – the spread of alien, "exotic" organisms – is gnawing away at ecosystems all over the world, largely unnoticed and unopposed. “The continuing increase in travel and trade around the globe is fostering the spread of more and more invaders of almost every conceivable description.”

Policies Governments want to encourage development, but are not ecologically based Lack of property rights and corrupt governments mean less interest in taking care of the resources Effective environmental protection laws are scarce

Policies

Questions? Development Biotechnology Use of Fossil Fuels Pollution Exploitation Poverty Bioinvasion Policies