Conservation Science Intro Flashcards
Who published a paper introducing the idea of conservation biology and when?
Michael Soule, 1985
What is conservation biology?
It addresses the problems of threatened species
Who began the idea of conservation science and when?
Kareiva and Marvier, 2012
What is conservation science?
It’s a broader framework
In order to achieve conservation we need to include humans and their impacts
What proportion of the worlds plant and animal species may face extinction?
1/4th
What are Soule’s postulates on conservation biology?
- High diversity of organisms is good
- Ecological complexity is good
- Evolution and genetic diversity is good
What is instrinsic biology?
Give an example
Protecting the environment for its own sake
Conservation biology
What are some of the instruments used in conservation biology?
Designing protected areas- SLOSS
Calculating the minimum viable population to maintain it
CITES
What is CITES?
An international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants doesn’t threaten their survival
What is minimum viable population (MVP)?
The minimum size of a population to maintain it
What does SLOSS stand for?
Single large or several small
What are the postulates of conservation science?
- Human well-being is integral to the conservation concept
- Jointly maximise the benefits to people and biodiversity through the application of social and natural sciences
- It’s evidence based- develop a body of quantitative evidence
What is instrumental value biology?
Give an example
Where we must save nature to help ourselves
Conservation science
What do the 17 sustainable development goals set out to do?
Not only for conservation and biodiversity, also for reducing things like poverty
All the goals are inter-linked, e.g having clean air is good for the plants and forests, forests are good for people etc.
What is background rate extinction?
Extinction that occurs naturally through evolution and is at a rate of 0.1 extinctions per million species per year
What percentage of species have to be lost for there to be a mass extinction?
75%
When were the 5 mass extinctions?
- Ordovician: 86%
- Devonian: 75%
- Permian: 80%
- Triassic: 80%
- Cretaceous: 76%
What is the dominant driver behind biodiversity loss?
Land use change
What is the second driver behind biodiversity loss?
Climate change
Give some recent extinction examples:
Golden toad, is 1989
Yangtse river dolphin, 2006
Western black rhino, 2011
Pyrenean ibex, 2000
Give two examples of successes in conservation:
Recovery of southern white rhino
The golden lion tamarin
What measures were put in place to increase Southern white rhino populations?
Translocation and re-stocking, creation of protected areas and breeding on private ranches
Now there are more than 20,000 individuals
What measures were put into place to increase golden lion tamarin populations?
Translocation, reforestation and new protected areas
1/3rd of population came from captive stock
Give two examples of failures in conservation:
Decline of the Northern white rhino
Decline of the Bornean orang utan
What percentage of protected areas are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity?
50%
What percentage of the public prioritise the environment over business, and what percent in 1984?
36% now
61% in 1984
How do we adapt the way we manage land?
Manage protected areas
Manage the important land that surrounds the protected area e.g. migration corridors, water sources etc.
Look into ecosystem services
What is the definition of anthropocene? When was the beginning?
When human activity started to influence the global environment, including land surface transformation and changing the composition of the atmosphere
1610-1964
