Conservation

Question 1

š Human-caused extinction

Answer 1

š Different from ‘background’ extinction rates that are part of the evolutionary process
š Affecting more species at a much faster rate
š Conservation is predominantly about preventing extinctions caused by humans

Question 2

Locally extinct

Answer 2

Extinct from part of its range, but still exists elsewhere

Question 3

Functionally extinct

Answer 3

No longer enough individuals present to fulfill their role in the ecosystem

Question 4

Co-extinction

Answer 4

When the loss of one species leads to the loss of another

Question 5

Endling

Answer 5

The last living individual of a species

Question 6

Lazarus effect

Answer 6

When a species is thought extinct, but rediscovered

Question 7

Vesk’s plant louse:

a co-extinction risk

Answer 7

š Named after UniMelb ecologist Peter Vesk
š Lives in the biodiversity hotspot of the Sterling Ranges, WA
š Only feeds on the sap of the wattle Acacia veronica
š Both are in decline

Question 8

Benjamin the Tasmanian Tiger

Answer 8

Died in Hobart Zoo
š September 7th 1936
š Now memorialized as
“Threatened Species Day”

Question 9

Once thought

extinct”

Answer 9

š 39 of Australia’s threatened species only occur in cities
š 12 “thought extinct” at some point
š Often because we built houses over the last known site
š Still threatened by the same processes

Question 10

How does extinction happen

Answer 10

Extinction happens by affecting population dynamics

Question 11

Population

‘viability’

Answer 11

š The ability of a population to ‘persist’ – to survive through time
š Also referred to as persistence
š Population Viability Analysis (PVA)
š Common approach that drives conservation
š Determines the likelihood that a population will go extinct within a certain period of time
š Can compare different scenarios
š Change in vital rates
š Effect of threats
š Effect of conservation action
Population viability closely linked to size
Smaller populations = greater risk of extinction

Question 12

Big changes to the Australian environment

Answer 12

š Colonisation led to sudden (relatively) and dramatic change in the environment
š Disrupted existing management by Indigenous people
š Widespread clearing for settlement, agriculture and grazing
š Introduction of new species into the system
š Extensive persecution of many native species
š Dams, concreted or covered waterways
š Attempts to ‘tame’ the landscape

Question 13

Australia’s extinction record

Answer 13

š ~100 species extinct since colonization
š Probably more
š Worst mammal extinction rate of any country in the world
š 35% of all modern mammal extinctions worldwide
š More than 1800 species on our federal threatened species
list

Question 14

Christmas Island Pippistrelle

Answer 14

1900-wide spread
1994- concern about the decline
2001-Endangered
2004-intensive monitoring began
2005-80% population decline
2006-Critically Endangered
Recommend immediate
captive breeding

Question 15

3 years later…

Answer 15

January 2009
š Fewer than 20 individuals left
š Scientists: “Hey, we should really, REALLY do captive breeding”
š February 2009
š Government: “OK, we’ll do a trial on a different species and set up an expert working group”
š Expert working group recommended captive breeding
š July 2009
š Government: “OK, OK, let’s do captive breeding”
š August 2009
š Only one pipistrelle was heard during surveys
š It was never captured
š And after August 26th it was never heard again

Question 16

Preventing extinction

Answer 16

Research
š Understand the species ecology, threats and actions
š Monitoring
š Be aware of its status and potential decline
Action
š Do something!
Leadership
š A champion for the species
Accountability
š Must be responsible for decisions to save the species and be accountable for
these decisions (or lack thereof)

Question 17

Why conserve biodiversity?

Answer 17

1. Utilitarian
vBenefits to people
vE.g. ecosystem services,
clean water, clean air,
food and medicinal
value
2. Inherent
vNature for nature’s sake
vE.g. species have a right
to exist

Question 18

What are we conserving?

Answer 18

Biodiversity consists of all living things at all levels of organization and all of their interactions
This means conservation might focus on the:
1. Genetic level – genetic traits that allow species to adapt to environments, resist disease
2. Species level – the number and types of species
3. Ecosystem level – entire communities of species, their physical environment and the interactions between them.

Question 19

Two broad types of conservation action

Answer 19

In situ
Conserving the species in their habitat.
- Habitat protection
- Habitat restoration and enhancement
- Removing threats
- Behaviour change
Ex situ
Conserving the species away from their habitat
- Captive breeding
- Insurance populations
- Gene banking
- Zoos and botanic gardens

Question 20

Which approach to use?

Answer 20

First protect species in
their natural range
(in situ)
When might we add ex-situ?
- Population is becoming too small
- We don’t know why it is declining
- The risks to the population cannot be mitigated

Question 21

How does biology help us conserve species?

Answer 21

• Understand the species’ needs
• Understand the threats
• Understand the possible actions
• Understand the benefits of those actions

Question 22

How do people fit in the story

Answer 22

šConservation action affects people
šConservation action is driven by people
šPeople bring new knowledge to conservation practice

Question 23

Conservation affects people

Answer 23

Benefits
• Connection to nature
• Health and well being
• Ecosystem services
• Tourism and resources
Costs
• Loss of income or access to land
• Human-wildlife conflict
• Loss of a resource
• Loss of culture and traditions
conservation should be built to masimise benefit and minise cost

Question 24

Grey-headed

flying fox

Answer 24

š Endangered
š Increasingly found in cities along the east coast
š Source of enormous conflict due to smell and droppping
š Currently no solution

Question 25

People driving conservation

Answer 25

š Community groups
š “Friends of…”, LandCare, Gardens for Wildlife
š Volunteers
š Probably responsible for most of the conservation action
š Often the source of leadership
š An engaged and aware community can achieve amazing things for conservation`

Question 26

Sunshine diurus

Answer 26

• used to be extremely common
• only 1% left
• one remaining natural population only occur in sunshine railroad
• community effort to preserve it
• 50k raised
• 24/7 watch to prevent arsonist and criminal

Question 27

Citizen observers

Answer 27

š There is so, so, so much to monitor
š Unusual finds
š Noticing species in new places
š Finding species we thought we’d  lost
š Citizen scientists and naturalists  contribute a wealth of data

Question 28

Indigenous knowledge, perspectives and participation in biodiversity conservation

Answer 28

š All land in Australia is Indigenous land - It was never ceded.
Cultural and ecological connections still important today

Question 29

Western science and conservation is starting to realise indigenous knowledge

Answer 29

Incorporating Traditional Knowledge systems and cultural values into biodiversity conservation
š Working with Traditional Owners on cultural harvests and protected areas
š Indigenous ranger programs and Caring for Country principles
š Developing respectful and appropriate ways of engaging and learning together

Question 30

Cultural burning

Answer 30

š Strategic use of fire to manage the environment
š ‘cool’ burns at the right time of year, promote seed germination, change vegetation structure
š Shaped the Australian landscape for millennia
š Colonisation disrupted this process
š Major consequences for Australia’s flora and fauna
š Cultural burns are being reinstated across the country

Question 31

Martu method for monitoring Mankarr

Answer 31

š Martu Native Title Determination Area
š Managed by the Martu Rangers, in partnership with Bush Heritage
š Mankarr (bilby) restoration and research
š Traditional tracking techniques
š Map burrows
š Track feral predators
š Including Indigenous knowledge in species distribution modeling for increased ecological
insights (Skroblin et al, 2021)
š Understanding of the importance of habitat features that would ordinarily be overlooked

Question 32

Eel story

Answer 32

š Bringing Indigenous stories to the fore – restoring cultural connection in urban
landscapes
š The University of Melbourne – an important Wurundjeri place
š Built on top of a wetland and ‘Bouverie Creek’
š The Living Pavilion art-science event in 2019
š Foreground Indigenous culture and place
š Recreated wetland landscape through planting, stories and exhibitions
š Eels still remember their ancient migration route

Question 33

What we set out to learn

Answer 33

š Australia’s history of extinction
š The range of threats to Australia’s flora and fauna
š and the strategies used to conserve them
š How a biology can be used to guide a conservation response
š The factors affecting conservation success and failure
š The role of people in conservation

Question 34

The role of biological knowledge

Answer 34

Identify that a species was in decline

Identify the reason for decline

Evaluate the success of a conservation approach

Modify an approach to be more successful