Ecosystems at Risk; SDP: the Importance of Ecosystem Management and Protection Flashcards
The importance of ecosystem management and protection
(HUMIN)
- heritage values
- utility values
- maintenance of genetic diversity
- intrinsic values
- need to allow natural change to proceed
why must ecosystems be managed and protected
- genetic diversity fosters biodiversity
- biodiversity provides provides direct, indirect, and aesthetic & ethical value.
- . Direct services provide medicine, food, and shelter. Indirect services are the mangroves, and muddy areas that filter water. 4. Indirect services are ecosystems that support ecosystems that are direct services.
- These can include muddy wetlands that filter water, or mangroves that protect shorelines against erosions, as well as providing a habitat for species to live and breed in.
- Aesthetic and ethical value not only benefits the ecosystems currently, but also future generations.
what does biodiversity provide
maximum amount of material for continued natural selection and evolution
role of evolution
provides a pool of dynamic living diversity
what has a loss of genetic biodiversity lead to
a small number of food varieties being grown at the expense of locally adapted strains
eg. . Over 5 000 varieties have been documented in Peru, home of the potato. Only a handful is cultivated in commercial quantities around the world. The loss of genetic diversity has led to a drop in disease resistance in current stock, with an increase in diseases such as late blight(disease) and bacterial wilt.
define utility value
the economic value the ecosystem can provide. Utility values rely on the natural resources within an ecosystem that have accountable value.
it is important to protect/manage ecosystems that provide utility values such as
Provisioning services; providing food and shelter/wood
Regulating services; cleaning pollution from the air
Cultural services; recreation
Tourism
why is it important to protect and manage ecosystems that provide utility values
they provide essentials such as oil and wood, water filtration etc.
define heritage values
what makes a historic place significant to a community of people. It is comprised of the many meanings and values that people attach to a place.
do heritage places provide habitats for unique species, and does protecting these places ensure survival of these species
yes
what shows how important heritage values have become
UNESCO world heritage sites
national parks
state parks
Heritage values are extremely important to manage and protect ecosystems which have…
Existing examples of unique flora, fauna, and physical processes eg. pygmy possum
Existing examples of cultural significance
Examples of evolutionary processes
Outline the importance of heritage value.
Heritage value is important because it protects the future use of ecosystems and supports the other values (utility, diversity, intrinsic, change).
define intrinsic values
Intrinsic values are those things that have no tangible benefit. The peaceful feelings that can be gained from strolling though an ecosystem or snorkelling with whale sharks are examples of intrinsic values. Intrinsic values also include the inherent right of an ecosystem to exist.
why should ecosystems be protected due to their inherent intrinsic value
- they have a right to exist even though they dont provide an economic/utility value
- social aspect: recreation, cultural and spiritual/emotional services
spiritual/intrinsic use of mount Kosciuszko (aboriginal peoples)
Spiritual use: Aboriginal people used Mount Kosciuszko spiritually for events such as ceremony, trades, marriages, social events, to settle differences, for burial locations and to create art. They also use the mountainous terrain for the movement of their people, “the stars, clouds, sun and the moon guided people to and from places of importance”.
aboriginal peoples other use/utility of Mount Kosciuszko
such as stone scatters- the result of tool making, they were scarred trees which were a result of providing bark for the roofing of huts, making canoes or carrying utensils, shields, cutting toeholds for climbing trees, cut holes into trees for extraction of animals or honey.
ecotourism
People visit places of unique beauty and significant flora and fauna to see them, not take form them.
They are not concerned with their utility value.
need to allow for natural change is extremely important, as it ensures that…
Natural evolution and other ecological processes can occur
Examples of ecosystems and the species in them are present in the future and have adapted to this future.
define need to allow for natural change
unimpeded (without interference) natural change refers to the development of ecosystems as they would naturally occur.
why is it important to allow for natural change
so that natural evolution of plants and animals may continue,
ecological processes may continue,
and so that evolution can contribute to greater diversity
