1. CONSERVATION Bri Bowerman and Emma Johnson

2. INTRO TO CONSERVATION  What is conservation?  preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.  Who is involved in conservation?  Why are species declining?  Climate change  Pollution  Urbanization  Human exploitation  Disease  Invasive species

3. CLIMATE CHANGE Global ImpactsEffects on Species  Increase in global average temperatures  Melting of ice caps / rising sea levels  Shifting habitat ranges  Increased frequency and strength of natural disasters  Increase or decrease of species ranges  Migration patterns  Adaptability  Predator / prey relationships  Loss of habitat completely  Shifting breeding patterns

4. POLLUTION  Water pollution  Pesticides  Dump sites - nuclear  Household chemicals  Indicator species  Air pollution  Fossil fuels  Acid rain  Trash  Physical debris impacts

5. URBANIZATION ChangesEffect on Species  Development (roads, buildings)  Fewer trees  Pollution  Erosion  Less habitat diversity  Humans  Less suitable habitat and breeding grounds  Increased flashiness  Habitat fragmentation and isolation

6. HUMAN EXPLOITATION  Pet trade  Consumption  Medicine  Animal stereotypes

7. DISEASE  Propagated by pet trade and invasive species  Chytrid  Mammal disease  Communicable between animals and humans

8. INVASIVE SPECIES  Brought from place to place by humans  Characteristics of a successful invasive species  Adaptable to many environment  Competitive  Few natural predators  Kudzu in the US  Burmese pythons in Florida  Cane toads in Australia

9. AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES  Amphibians and reptiles are declining because of all of these factors, including enigmatic declines  43% of amphibian species are endangered  1 in 5 reptile species are endangered  Hard to tell severity of impact-animals are secretive, don’t notice declines until the animals are almost gone

10. WHY IS CONSERVATION IMPORTANT?  Protecting biodiversity  Preserving balance of nature  Sustainable use  Every species has the right to live  We have a duty to protect other species

11. WHAT CAN YOU DO?  Don’t keep the animals you find in the wild as pets  Don’t release exotic animals into a non-native habitat  Try to recycle, use less electricity, and other practices to decrease amount of pollution

12. QUESTIONS?