chapter 1 Flashcards
Conservation Biology
-It is an integrated, multidisciplinary scientific field that has developed in response to the challenge of preserving species and ecosystems.
synergistic
negative effects of several separate factors logging, overheating, drought, fire, climate change, poverty-combined additively or multiplactively to destroy biodiversity
Conservation Biology has three goals
- To document the full range of biological diversity on Earth(search for factual knowledge)
- To investigate human impact on species, genetic variation, and ecosystems(search for factual knowledge)
- To develop practical approaches to prevent the extinction of species, maintain genetic diversity within species, and protect and restore biological communities and their associated ecosystem functions (normative discipline)
Normative discipline
Normative discipline:
It embraces certain values (preserving life) and attempts to apply scientific methods to achieving those values (Lindenmayer and Hunber 2010).
***values and apply scientific method
-ex: medical science
-conservation biologists prevent loss of biodiversity because they believe preserving species and natural communities to be an ultimate good
Conservation biology differs from
Conservation biology differs from agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, and fisheries biology in its primary goal:
Long-term preservation of biodiversity with economic factors secondary.
(make no $, we want to preserve life.)
Conservation biology-more general theoretical approach to protecting the entire range of biodiversity
big challenge=
funds
Conservation biology merges
It merges applied and theoretical biology and incorporates ideas and expertise from a broad range of fields outside the natural sciences, toward the goal of preserving biodiversity.
Environmentalism
versus
Conservation biology
Are they the same?
they are closely associated
environmentalism-widespread movement characterized by political and educational activism with the goal of protecting the natural environment from destruction and pollution.
Conservation biology- is a scientific discipline, based on biological research.
basic sciences and resource management
basic sciences-new ideas and approaches-> resource management
resource management- field experience and research needs-> basic sciences
Roots of conservation biology
Religious-many see people as spiritually and physically connected to plants and animals. Other religions protect wild areas for their spiritual experience
Cultural-painters Ralph Waldo, David Thoreau, romantic depictions of Hudson River school. (philosophers)
Philosophical-John Muir Aldo Leopold argued for preserving natural landscapes (scientists) Aachen Carson-pesticides
Metaphysical – scientific e.g., Gaia hypothesis-viewed earth as having “super organisms” whose biological, physical and chemical properties interact to regulate characteristics of the atmosphere and climate
Major themes in Conservation biology
Natural resources
Ecosystem management
Sustainable development
Natural resources
commodities and qualities found in nature including timber, fodder, clean water, wildlife, and even beautiful landscapes
-use for the greater good for people for the longest time
Ecosystem management
places the highest management priority on the health of ecosystems and wild species
sustainable development
advocates an integrated approach, calling for development that meets present and future human needs without damaging the environment or diminishing biodiversity.
INTERNATIONAL SCOPE
- United Kingdom: earlier leaders
1865 First conservation society
International Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, 1992
- Convention of Biological Diversity: CBD
178 countries signed
-early 19th century began to realize and extinction and harm -this formed the British conservation movement in 1865- founding of commons, open spaces and footpaths preservation society in 1868
20th century acts passed to protect life.
CBD-obligates countries to protect their biodiversity but also allows them to obtain a share in the profits of new products developed from that diversity
sea turtles
sea turtle pop. shrunk-> Brazilian gov. set out to design conservation program
-lacked basic info
-1980, TAMAR projecto:
-2 year survey
-tagging sea turtles
interviewed villagers
shadow changes temp. collected eggs, observed people college eggs, TAMAR is main source of income for some villagers.
ethical principles
1.The diversity of species and biological communities should be preserved.
2.The untimely extinction of populations and species should be prevented.
3.Ecological complexity should be maintained.
4.Evolution should continue.
5.Biological diversity has intrinsic value.
-not every conservation biologist accepts every principle and they don’t need to.
biophilia
genetic predisposition to fell affinity for biodiversity .
1.The diversity of species and biological communities should be preserved.
-most agree that biodiversity is appreciated
-biophilia
-acknowledge economic value of biodiversity
2.The untimely extinction of populations and species should be prevented.
- ethically neutral event, it happens as a process of evolution however now populations are decreasing and going extinct without new pop. replacing them.
3.Ecological complexity should be maintained.
we can only have ecological complexity with natural communities. cannot be in man made zoos or botanical gardens
ex: plants have special flowers because they are pollinated by special insects in the wild
4.Evolution should continue.
evolution leads to new species and biodiversity increases
-avoid humans preventing or limiting evolution
-preserving endangered species is important but since they are cut off from natural environment, we don’t know if they will survive if they are released
5.Biological diversity has intrinsic value.
species and community have a value of their own besides the values we place on them.
value=their very existence
Conservation is is a crisis
discipline
-time pressured decisions
-provide advice
-make recommendations
-we have seen small positive changes
