1. Principles of Conservation Biology

2. What is Conservation Biology?

3. Guiding principles
Preservation of Biodiversity Prevent untimely extinctions Maintain ecological complexity Evolution should continue Biodiversity has intrinsic value

4. Goals
Document the range of biodiversity on Earth Investigate human impacts on species, genetic variation, and ecosystems Develop practical approaches to prevent extinctions, maintain genetic diversity, and protect and restore biological communities and ecosystem functions

5. Conservation Biology, Environmentalism, Social Justice

7. What is the biggest issue in conservation biology today?

9. Population Growth

11. The power of Conservation

12. Wild Turkey Turnaround
Once limited to less than 30,000 individuals (fewer than the number of remaining orangutans today!), wild turkeys have rebounded to an estimated 7 million individuals.

18. History of Conservation Biology

19. The European Approach

22. Which led to...extinction

23. Passenger Pigeon

24. Carolina Parakeet

25. The seeds of early European conservationism
18th-19th centuries – colonial powers began implementing protections 1769 Mauritius – 25% landholdings preserved 1852 India – forest protections

26. Early North American Conservation

27. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. “
Wrote Walden in 1854; believed in the necessity of experiencing Nature
Ralph Waldo Emerson ( )
“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
Influential Philosopher; nature was a temple in which people could interact with the spiritual realm, wrote Nature

28. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. “
Wrote Walden in 1854; believed in the necessity of experiencing Nature
Ralph Waldo Emerson ( )
“Nature hates calculators.”
Influential Philosopher; nature was a temple in which people could interact with the spiritual realm

29. John Muir ( )
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.“
Preservationist ethic; believed in the intrinsic value of nature. Founded the Sierra Club. “Father of the National Parks”

30. Preservationist Ethic

31. The Resource Conservation Ethic
“the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time”
Head of the national forest service
Natural resources: all the commodities and qualities found in nature (timber, fodder, landscapes, water)
The seeds of sustainability
Resources should be put to the best use and not wasted
Multiple use of resources (current land management)
Resou
Gifford Pinchot ( )

32. The Resource Conservation Ethic

33. The land ethic
Humankind is a part of nature – we require both preservation and management
Most important: maintain the health of natural ecosystems and processes
Aldo Leopold ( )

34. Other early pioneers Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911)
Connections between water quality and sewage/industrial wastes. Led to first water quality standards and eventually modern sewage treatment

35. Written in 1962; raised awareness of the role of pesticides, chemicals and bird declines

36. The birth of Conservation Biology
Founded in 1985 by eminent scientists
Mission: To advance the science and practice of conserving the Earth's biological diversity.

37. Some successes National and International Government action
Endangered Species Act
Red Lists in the EU
National Parks, protected areas
Treaties
Regulations (CITES)
$$$ - lots of funding for conservation biology
Science central to decision making for many conservation organizations (e.g., Nature Conservancy)

38. Some successes
CB’s goals part of scientific activities and policies Increased media coverage More courses like this! The SCB is huge – over 10,000 members in 120 countries