Global Issues Flashcards
What is meant by the term ‘background extinction’?
Not dramatic, it’s just when the species fades away and can’t keep up with the environmental change
What is meant by ‘mass extinction’?
More dramatic, major disturbance to the planet causes extinction to rise hundreds or thousands of times above the background level
What are the main causes of the biodiversity crisis?
- deforestation
- pollution
- climate change
- overfishing
- hunting and poaching
What does the IUCN Red List do?
It defines the threat level to over 10000 species
What are the different strategies for prioritising conservation funding.
- Flagship species
- Keystone Species
- Edge species
What does the EDGE species do?
It attempts to identify the species that are not deserving of conservation funding and effort
What does Flagship species do?
It is a brilliant marketing tool which causes people to donate to conservation charities than we otherwise would because they look adorable or majestic - companies like WWF do this
What does Birth rate mean?
The number of birth per 1000 people in a population, per year
What does Death rate mean ?
The number of deaths per 1000 people in a population, per year
What does Fertility rate mean?
The average number of children born per woman required to keep a population stable
What does replacement fertility rate mean?
The number of children born per woman
