REDUCING HUMAN IMPACT On Biological Diversity

Brown Tree Snakes, Guam  Invasive species- no natural predators.  Likely arrived in inadequately inspected cargo shipments in the 50s

Has cost millions…  In wildlife and commercial losses.  Exotic birds - eaten eggs & destroyed nesting sites  Wriggle way into electrical substations -4 million a year in repair costs

2000 dead mice floating in cardboard parachutes?!

Tylenol… Video LinkVideo Link  Snake’s “Achilles Heal”  Dead snakes were loaded with the pain killer.  - Some snakes eat the mice.  Natural Selection- did we just give a “leg up” to the snakes that don’t? Natural Selection also acts on behaviours.

Earth Summit:  Canada signed a treaty called the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in PM Jean Chretien.  3 goals : Conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of the components of bio diversity, fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

Earth Summit  Harper government did not go to the next summit/keep Canada’s “promises”.  PM elect, Justine Trudeau, has promised to go to Earth 2015 and respect signed convention.  How might an elected government’s values/polies affect how Canada is viewed on the “world stage”?

Strategies to Conserve Biological Diversity:

Protected Areas  I n-situ conservation refers to the maintenance of populations of wild organisms in their functioning ecosystems

Protected Areas  First national park, Banff (1885)  Allows ecological processes to continue relatively undisturbed  No single protected area can offer enough land or habitat diversity to support all native species or ecosystems.

Protected Areas  Rely on co-operation of national, provincial, and municipal governments, along with the support of other organizations (NGOs) and individuals.

Privatize protected areas?  E.g. Harper government privatized hot springs in the Rocky Mountain Parks: Privatized Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park, Banff Upper Hot Springs in Banff National Park, and Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park.  This means they are owned by individuals now and not the Canadian people.  This is an example of a controversial issue.

Restoration of Ecosystems and Species:

Canada has developed:  Programs to restore endangered species and habitats.  Most species can never recover unless their they have habitat in which to live.  Especially true of species that were extirpated from an area - prairie grizzly bears, for example.

Non-government organizations:  Charities, not-for-profit organizations, volunteers and private landowners contribute to restoring species and habitat.  The Nature Conservancy of Canada  Ducks Unlimited  Landowners are encouraged to restore nesting areas through seeding of native grasses and shrubs.

Restoring a species that has been extirpated…  Requires a lot of money and time.  Swift fox- agriculture changed its prairie habitat; vulnerable to poisoning program aimed at wolves & coyotes.  Despite efforts of WWF & Alberta Government, it is still endangered.

“Purge the Spurge”  Fish Creek Park, Calgary (Friends of Fish Creek)  Volunteers gather to hand pull leafy spurge, a non-native noxious weed that threatens to take over the park an destroy wildlife habitat.

Resource use policies…  Federal and provincial governments have laws to protect:  Endangered species (very few individuals left in the wild)  Threatened species (decreasing rapidly in the wild)

Resource use policies…  Protected by law from being hunted or captured, or in the case of plants, from being picked or transplanted.  National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk : signed by all provinces and territories in 1994

COSEWIC  Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada  ESCC (Endangered Species Conservation Committee)- In Alberta  Goal is to prevent species in Canada from becoming extinct as a result of human activity.

Controlling the spread of exotic species:

Purple Loosestrife  Introduced from Europe, 1800s  Germinates & grows faster than any other wetland species.  No natural enemies- no bird, mammal, or fish feeds on it or uses it for shelter.  Designated as a noxious weed by Alberta Agriculture.  Volunteers important.

Conservation of Genetic Resources  Ex-situ conservation: refers to conservation of components of biological diversity outside of natural habitat.

In some cases…  Ex-situ conservation offers the only chance of survival for endangered species, and plays an important role in conserving economically valuable genetic resources for forest, aquatic, and agricultural purposes.

Seed banks store varieties of wheat… Most started as voluntary exchange by farmers.

Seed banks expanded…  As experts learned more about the importance of biological diversity.  Keep seeds of wild ancestors of crop species-useful characteristics that our advancing technology might be able to use in the future.

International Plant Genetics Resources institute (IPGRI)-world seed bank  Scientists responsible determine which country will maintain the seed bank of a particular species.  Canada maintains the seed bank for barley and oats.

Preserving genes of animals:  Much more difficult.  Egg and sperm cells can only be stored for a relatively short time.  Populations of living animals must also be maintained.

Sometimes…  Animals are exchanged between zoos  Breeding takes place using artificial reproduction technologies  Some species, such as the whooping crane, will breed in captivity, while others will not.

Check & Reflect  Page 78, #s 1-4