18.3. Conservation Flashcards
Methods of protecting endangered species
1) zoos
2) botanic gardens
3) conserved areas (national parks and marine parks
4) ‘frozen zoos’
5) seed banks
Zoos as a method of protecting endangered species
Zoos have a variety of functions in addition to providing enjoyment and interest for visitors who can see and study animals that they would not otherwise be able to see.
Advantages
- Endangered and vulnerable animal species would be protected from predators or other selection pressures out in the wild, so this prevents them from becoming extinct
- Health of endangered animals would be monitored so ensures their survival
- Can research on these mammals, especially in trying to gain a better understanding of breeding habits, habitat requirements and ways to increase genetic diversity
Disadvantages
- Animals are bred from small populations, meaning that genetic diversity would be very low
- Some animals simply refuse to breed in captivity so breeding programmes may not work
- Often, it is not possible to create suitable habitats for the mammals, so they cannot be returned to the wild which is the main goal of selective breeding.
- Sometimes, even if a habitat exists, it is very difficult for the animals to adapt to living in it after being cared for in a zoo.
- Captive-bred animals may not know how to avoid predators, find food or rear their own young
Conserved areas (national parks and marine parks) as a method of protecting endangered species
- Areas of land controlled by the government of a country and protected by legislation
- Agriculture, building, mining and other industrial activities are strictly controlled
- There are restrictions on human activities in national parks.
- Tourism brings in money to pay for the maintenance of the parks, and also helps to inform people about how conservation takes place.
- This raises awareness of important issues and can elicit support from the public.
- Marine parks, like that in the Galapagos Islands, have been set up in many places to conserve fragile ecosystems and areas at risk of overfishing, dredging and pollution
Botanic Gardens as a method of protecting endangered species
- Seeds or cuttings are collected from species in the wild and then used to build up a population of plants from which, one day, some plants may be reintroduced to their natural habitats.
- Protect endangered plant species; the world’s botanic gardens already cultivate around one-third of the world’s known plant species, many of which are increasingly threatened in the wild by environmental degradation and climate change
- Research methods of reproduction and growth so that species cultivated in botanic gardens can be grown in appropriate conditions and be propagated
- Research conservation methods so plants can be introduced to new habitats if their original habitat has been destroyed
- Reintroduce species to habitats where they have become very rare or extinct
- Educate the public in the many roles of plants in ecosystems and their economic value.
‘Frozen Zoos’ as a method of protecting endangered species
- A ‘frozen zoo’, such as the one at the San Diego Zoo, holds genetic resources in the form of sperm, eggs and embryos from many endangered and vulnerable species until they might be needed.
- Frozen zoos can hold much more genetic diversity than a normal zoo and the material can be kept for very long periods of time.
- Frozen egg and sperm
Seed Banks as a method of protecting endangered species
- Store seeds collected by plants
- Many seeds will live a very long time in dry conditions, but others need more specialised storage environments
- A few seeds are germinated every so often so that the fresh seed can be collected and stored
Assisted Reproduction
A solution to the problem of inbreeding
1) Artificial Insemination
2) Embryo Transfer
3) IVF
Artificial Insemination
- Sperm is physically deposited into the uterus.
- The female will naturally be ovulating (or on ‘heat’), or she will be given hormones to super ovulate.
Embryo Transfer
- Embryos can be transferred from the biological mother to surrogate mothers.
- This is advantageous as it protects the endangered mother, and means she can produce many embryos.
IVF (in vitro fertilisation)
- Oocytes are collected by inserting a needle into the ovaries and withdrawing some mature follicles.
- The oocytes are kept in a culture medium for a short time and then mixed with semen.
- The resulting zygotes divide to form embryos, which are cultured for several days and then placed into the mother or into several females of the same or different species.
NGOs (Non-governmental organisations)
Usually non-profit and sometimes international organizations independent of governments and international governmental organizations (though often funded by governments) that are active in humanitarian, educational, health care, public policy, social, human rights, environmental, and other areas to effect changes according to their objectives.
CITES Stands for
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
What is CITES
- Multilateral environmental agreement
- Agreed in Washington, D.C. on March 3rd 1973
- Entered into force in 1975
- Currently 180 parties
- CITES is the preeminent global legal instrument for regulating international trade in wild animals and plants
- CITES serves to both
- Facilitate legal, sustainable, and traceable trade
Intercept legall wildlife trade
CITES appendix I
- Species threatened with extinction
- International commercial trade in wild-taken specimens is generally prohibited
- 3% of all CITES-listed species
CITES appendix II
- Species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but for which trade must be controlled to avoid their becoming so
- International commercial trade not allowed but regulated
- 96% of all CITES-listed species
