32. Biodiversity and Human Well-Being I Flashcards
biodiversity and ecosystem function
- complementarity
- facilitation
- sampling effect
4 types of ecosystem services
–Provisioning
–Regulating
–Cultural
–Supporting
tragedy of the commons
an economic theory involving a shared resource in which each individual acts independents according to their own best interest, contrary to the common good
of all users, by depleting or spoiling a resource.
biodiversity
The variability among living organisms from all sources
and the ecological complexes of which they are part;
includes diversity within and among species and ecosystems.
human impacts on biodiversity
• Globally, 25% of mammals and 13% of birds are extinct, threatened, or near threatened (IUCN 2014)
– Much less is known about other groups of species
why do we need to conserve biodiversity
- Intrinsic value
- Functional value
- Utilitarian value
- “Serendipitous” (potential) value
complementarity
Increased coverage of available niche-space
facilitation
Increased performance with other species
sampling effect
Increased chance of having ‘great’ species
BioDIV and BioCON
- Communities of varying diversity
- Choose species pool, randomly select species per plot
- Measure biomass over time for > 10 years!
ecosystem function
“the habitat, biological or system properties or
processes of ecosystems”
- lead to ecosystem goods and services
ecosystem goods and services
“the benefits human populations derive, directly
or indirectly, from ecosystem functions”.
“…functions provided by nature that
improve and sustain human wellbeing”
provisioning ecosystem services
The delivery/production of products we need: • Food • Energy • Water • Minerals • Medical compounds
regulating ecosystem services
Services provided that regulate our environment. • Decomposition • Water purification • CO2 sequestration • Pest control • Flood prevention
supporting ecosystem services
The provision of ecosystem processes needed to support life and all other ecosystem services.
• Primary production
• Nutrient cycling
• Soil formation
cultural ecosystem services
“Non-material” benefits that enrich the human experience. – Spiritual and religious – Recreation – Aesthetic – Heritage
natural capital
the summation of all of the ecosystem services on Earth, available to us for free.
ecosystem valuation
the assignment of economic value to an ecosystem or ecosystem services.
Often represents:
1. The monetary cost of replacing the
ecosystem service.
2. The monetary value of the capital gained
from the resource
ecosystem services and valuation in Alberta
ABMI doing a lot of work right now estimating the value of ecosystem services across the province.
ecosystem valuation: timber
Value of the timberproduced – Pulp – Saw-logs – Veneer In Alberta, based on a preference for 80+ year old trees
ecosystem valuation: carbon storage
How much carbon is stored in forests. Takes into account succession in forests. Valued as the market cost of carbon as defined by the Alberta Government
• Was $20 tonne-1
• Increased to $30 tonne-1 in 2018
ecosystem valuation: pollination
- In Alberta, mainly focused on pollination of canola
- Fields must be 1km from undeveloped land to attract wild bees
- Valued as the improvement in yield as a result of wild bee pollination
ecosystem valuation: rangeland
Includes the value of forage production (for cattle) and carbon storage
• Forage was price to replace with commercial feed
• Carbon based on previous price of $15 per tonne
Based on soil, climate, and history of grazing
ecosystem valuation: water purification
Quantity of sediment and excess nutrients (P and N)
in surface waters.
Value of removal of sediment and nutrients by ecosystems
• Cost to remove sediment and nutrients at a water treatment plant
agricultural footprint
- Dominant human uses are croplands and pastures (cover ~40% of the earths surface).
- Fertilizer use has increased 700% in last 40 years.
- 85% of freshwater used by humans goes to agriculture – this is 10% of all global freshwater reserves
- 7–11 million km2 of forest has been cleared in last 300 years; most of the native prairies of the world, North America included, have been developed
human footprint in Alberta
- natural resource economy
- human footprint directly covers 28% of Alberta
• Energy • Forestry • Agriculture • Urban & rural residences • Industrial facilities • Transportation
threatened species in Alberta
A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed
• Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
• Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae)
endangered species in Alberta
A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction
• Greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
• Swift fox (Pinus albicaulis)
