AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY: INTERACTIONS AT THE BOUNDARIES By Jeffrey A. McNeely Chief Scientist IUCN-The World Conservation Union The Sperling Biodiversity Lecture Salt Lake City, 6-8 November 2005

A post-petroleum future?

What are the causes of decline and loss? Habitat destruction and associated degradation and fragmentation

New ways of thinking Ecosystem Services: the benefits people obtain from ecosystems Regulating Benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystem processes climate regulation disease regulation flood regulation Provisioning Goods produced or provided by ecosystems food fresh water fuel wood genetic resources Cultural Non-material benefits from ecosystems spiritual recreational aesthetic inspirational educational Supporting Services necessary for production of other ecosystem services Soil formation Nutrient cycling Primary production

Linkages among Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being

IUCN Photo library IUCN Photo Library © Jim Thorsell

Wilderness may be the only hope for the world’s large predators, essential elements of biodiversity

Wilderness also offers habitat for wild relatives of domestic plants and animals

The main threats to biodiversity

Biodiversity will help farmers adapt to climate change

SOILS One of last great frontiers in biological research

 Soil biodiversity: contribution to ecosystem services –Nutrient cycling –Mites & earthworms  Vulnerability of soil biodiversity & services  Optimizing soil biodiversity for human well-being Photos: Norton, Bolte

Draft Tree of Life Science: 13 June 2003 Taxa in Soil Bacteria No human eye has ever blinked at them through a microscope, and most human minds have never spent a moment reflecting on them. Yet the sobering fact is: they don’t need us, but we need them (Wilson 1987). Photos: Norton, Ochoa

PRIMARY PRODUCERS TREESSHRUBSGRASSESGROUND COVER ETC. SERVICE PROVIDERS DECOMPOSERS ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS ELEMENTAL TRANSFORMERS PRIMARY REGULATORS POLLINATORS (90% of plants) HERBIVORES PARASITES MICRO-SYMBIONTS SECONDARY REGULATORS HYPER-PARASITES PREDATORS ABOVE-GROUND – BELOW-GROUND Source: Swift et al. 2004; van der Heijden et al. 1998; De Deyn et al Soil biota play some role in every ecosystem service with a biological component (Wardle et al. 2004) Ecosystem Activities

Soil formation Source: Kroetsch; Hendrix & Bohlen 2002; Lee 1985; Lavelle EARTHWORMS: Up to 1000/m 2 Process up to 10 tonnes of soil /ha/ yr. Plant production Nutrient cycling Water movement

Sheikalmudi Tea plantation Tamil Nadu Vermiculture beds Source: Senapati et al. 2003; Anderson 2004; World Soil Resources Report 2003 Biological Management of Soil Ecosystems Lower fossil fuel input Enhanced water storage Soil biodiversity maintained Biocontrol maintained Pathogens & parasites reduced Nutrients maintained in soil

Soil Health Water Quality Ecosystem Health Soil Biodiversity Human Health Production Safe food Source: Fox & Macdonald 2003; World Soil Resources Report 2003, Wheeler et al Soil Biodiversity Initiative GEF-UNEP project below-ground biodiversity Biological Diversity & Ecosystem Function in Soils Taxonomy as large-scale International science Geospatial frameworks Molecular & morphological tools SCOPE

Animals of many kinds live in or on the surface of soils & sediments 10 tenets of soil ecology From Wall et al., 2004 Soils and Sediments are Not Only Habitats for Microbes

Slide courtesy of Decaëns et al., in press; Granval 1988; Fiers BIRD species - 27 threatened - 63 protected 17 MAMMAL species - 6 threatened - 11 protected 19 batracian species - 18 threatened - 19 protected Many INVERTEBRATE species (e.g. > 100 Carabidae sp.) 13 REPTILE species - 13 threatened - 13 protected Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for vertebrates, invertebrates, protozoa and microbes Above and belowsurface. Services: PROVISION OF NUTRIENTS TO FOODWEBS

EARTHWORMS & Compost Primack 2000 IBOY group; Courtesy of Decaëns et al. in press Fishing bait Food for animals Manure piles for compost production Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for animals above-surface. Services: Provision of economic base

More than 2000 invertebrate species 32 Amazonian ethnic groups consume >100 soil invertebrate species High nutritional value Ramos-Elorduy 1997, Paoletti 2000, 2002; Courtesy of Decaëns et al. in press Edible ants (Atta sp.) Fire smoked Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for humans. Services: Provision of economic base

R 2 = 0.69* Species richness Intensification of habitat change What happens when soils and sediment and organisms are damaged? Change in habitat above - decreases animal diversity below. Courtesy of Decaëns et al., in press; Decaëns & Jiménez, 2002

Soils Freshwater Sediments Soils Marine Sediments Lake Ocean Groundwater Soils and Sediments Wall, 2004 Soils and sediments are not isolated. The belowsurface foodwebs are linked.