3.1.2 Conservation Of Biodiversity

Question 1

Sustainable habitat management

Answer 1

• securing future supplies
• wood, fibres, oils, fuels, new foods.

Question 2

Strategies for Species protection and human gain

Answer 2

• biomimetic
• new medicines
• phycological research
• pest control agents
• genetic resources - importance of centres if diversity - vacillation centres for CWR.

Question 3

Ecosystem services

Answer 3

• atmospheric composition - organisms role in maintaining composition of atoms.
• biogeochemical cycles
• interspecies relationships - pollination, seed dispersal, habitat provision.
• soil maintenance - erosion control

Question 4

Humans influencing biodiversity

Answer 4

• direct exploitation
• deliberate eradication
• changes in abiotic factors
• and biotic factors - introduced species and loss of interspecies relationships
• habitat destruction

Question 5

Setting conservation priorities - IUCN

Answer 5

• international union for conservation of nature
• increase understanding, deploy nature based solutions to global climate change, food.

CRITERIA :
red list categories,
classification,
evolutionary uniqueness - EDGE (evolutionary distinction and globally endangered) threatened by extinction
endemic - species found in single area
keystone - species survival important for many.
flagship,
threats,
population dispersal.

Question 6

Legislation and protocols

Answer 6

Protection of habitat and species:
- wildlife and country side act (1981)

Designated protected areas:
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• National Nature Reserve (NNR)
• Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
• Special Protection Area (SPA)
• Natura 2000 sites
• Ramsar sites
• Marine Nature Reserve (MNR)
• Local Nature Reserve (LNR)
• Marine Protected Area (MPA)
• Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ)

Trade controls:
- CITIES (convention on international trade in endangered species
- appendix I
- appendix II

Regulation of sustainable exploitation:
- aim to exploit living resources sustainably

• International Whaling Commission (IWC)
• European Union Common Fisheries Policy (EU
CFP)
• International Tropical Timber Organisation
(ITTO).

Question 7

CBR

Answer 7

• captive breeding and release
• ex-situ - conservative in wild
• increasing breeding success: embryo transfer, artificial insamination, required abiotic, group dynamics.
• soft and hard release - post release monitoring also

Question 8

Habitat conservation

Answer 8

• in-situ conservation - protects whole communities
• habitat creation - habitat area, shape, age structure, biological corridors.
• management and conservation of habitats.

Question 9

Temperate broadleaf woodland

Answer 9

Controlling eco features: no extreme temps and deep fertile soil

Importance: high biodiversity and carbon sequestration

Threats: deforestation, isolated areas

Conservation efforts: copicing, pollarding, monoculture plantations, afforestation.

Question 10

Tropical rainforests

Answer 10

CEF: high temp and light, seasonal fluctuation.

I: high bio-D, carbon sequestration, erosion control, hydrological cycle.

T: fuel wood, agriculture, mineral extraction, tourism.

CE: afforestation, dept for nature swaps.

Question 11

Tropical coral reefs:

Answer 11

CEF: high temp, light, salinity, coral nutrition, turbidity low.

I: fishing, coastal erosion, chemicals.

T: souvenirs, ocean acidification, pollution, bleaching.

CE: marine protected areas, quotas, reduce chemical leaching.

Question 12

Deep coral reefs:

Answer 12

CEF: less energy and lack of algae relationship so slower growth.

I: biomass of fish protection, research

T: trawling of nets, slow repair, oil gas exploration, ocean acidification.

CE: DPA

Question 13

Oceanic islands

Answer 13

CEF: biodiversity isolation, less indigenous mammal predators.

I: endemic species

T: sea level rise, introduces species, pathogens, tourism.

CE: eradication of introduced species, tourism control.

Question 14

Mangroves:

Answer 14

CEF: high temp, salinity but low O2. Dominated halophytic trees in intertidal areas, anaerobic.

I: bio-D, fish nursing grounds protected by roots, carbon sinks, timber resources.

T: economic development, pollution.

CE: DPA, reforestation.

Question 15

Antarctica

Answer 15

CEF: low temp, precipitation, but high albedo and marine nutrients. Seasonal changes.

I: eco services, albedo, C sequestration, tourism.

T: sea levels, overfishing, pollution, ozone depletion.

CE: Antarctic treaty 1959, no military action, resources exploitation.

Question 16

Ecological monitoring in conservation planning: population dynamics

Answer 16

• size
• distribution
• survival rate
• age structure

Question 17

New technologies for ecological monitoring

Answer 17

• satellite radio tracking
• DNA data base
• image recognition
• acoustic monitoring, sonograms.