Wildlife management & ecological conservation

Biodiversity hotspots for conservation  Areas where high concentrations of endemic species are undergoing substantial loss of habitat. Should we focus conservation efforts in these areas at the expense of less diverse regions? Or should we focus efforts on currently endangered species? Myers et al 2000

Species-level regulatory approaches  CITES: 1975 Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)  United States Endangered Species Act (ESA)  Lacey Act  Migratory Bird Conservation Act & the Migratory Bird Treaty

Endangered Species Figure 11-19

Laws and treaties  International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (moratorium)  Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

Commercial whaling: another tragedy of the commons  million whales killed  8 of 11 major species reduced to levels not profitable to hunt any more

Commercial whaling Current pop. sizes:  Humpbacks 10,000  Fin 56,000  Minke 149,000  Blue 10,000 Pre-exploitation pop. sizes:  Humpbacks 240,000  Fin 360,000  Minke 265,000  Blue 200,000 Roman & Palumbi 2003

International Policies  International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 1946 to regulate global whale stocks (est.’d the IWC)  Mission was to set sustainable quotas  Moratorium 1986 (US ended commercial whaling in 1970)

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1976  Created 8 regional fisheries management councils: NE, Mid-Atlantic, S Atl, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, N. Pac, Pac, W. Pac  Councils are made up of fishermen, industry representatives, and fisheries scientists  Councils create Fisheries Management Plans  Amended in 1996 to include provisions for protecting Essential Fish Habitat

Result of EFH: Gulf of Maine Example © NERONMFS

Biodiversity conservation Strategies

The science behind conservation biology  Biodiversity indices  Richness  Simpson’s  Shannon  The importance of biodiversity for resilience and stability of communities  Theory of island biogeography

Theory of Island Biogeography Cox and Moore 1993

Area and Distance Effects  Immigration and extinction are driven by island area and distance from the mainland.  This is derived from the ecological principle of the species-area relationship, where species richness is directly proportional to area.

Real data Species-area relationship for land birds of the West Indies.

Real data Distance (from mainland of New Guinea) effects for birds of the Bismarck Archipelago.

Applications  Single Large  Or Several Small

National parks: a type of reserve system  The first National Park in the US was established in 1872: Yellowstone.  The National Park System was created by the Organic Act of 1916, signed by President Wilson.

Stresses on U.S. National Parks Figure 10-23

NATURE RESERVES  Large and medium-sized reserves with buffer zones help protect biodiversity and can be connected by corridors.

NATURE RESERVES  model biosphere reserve showing zoning Figure 10-25

National Marine Sanctuaries Act  The primary objective of the NMSA is to protect marine resources, such as coral reefs, sunken historical vessels or unique habitats.  Many marine sanctuaries in US waters do not actually protect marine life.  Case in point: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary © NOAA

Zoning and Marine Reserves Zoning results in mixed uses of a marine protected area.

Clean Water Act  1972, 1977  Made the discharge of pollutants from a point source into navigable waters illegal.  This includes industrial and waste water discharges. Oil Pollution Act  1990  Requires oil and drilling companies to have emergency plans in place in the event of a huge spill  Sets aside funds for oil spill clean ups in case the responsible party cannot afford all of the costs.  1990  Requires oil and drilling companies to have emergency plans in place in the event of a huge spill  Sets aside funds for oil spill clean ups in case the responsible party cannot afford all of the costs.