Highest_priority_cards_2_-_all_duplicates

Question 1

Q: Climate vs. weather

Answer 1

Time scale. Weather is what happens every day. Climate is the long-term average (30 years) of weather.

Question 2

Q: Climate change

Answer 2

Long-term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature.

Question 3

Q: Primary cause of climate change

Answer 3

Burning of fossil fuels dramatically increases amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

Question 4

Q: Effect of methane vs. C02 in atmosphere

Answer 4

Both trap heat in atmosphere
Methane is better at trapping heat but less abundant in atmosphere
Importantly, CO2 remains longer in the atmosphere– methane remains ~10-12 years whereas the removal of CO2 by natural processes will take thousands of years.

Question 5

Q: Regular CO2 vs. Rampant CO2

Answer 5

Regular: Plants photosynthesize using CO2, which is exhaled by animals during respiration. This regular CO2 is in balance and part of normal life processes.
Rampant: Burning of fossil fuels produces rampant CO2

Question 6

Q: Major effects of excess CO2 in atmosphere

Answer 6

More trapping of radiated heat, warming temperature
Ocean acidification
Rising sea levels due to melting ice sheets and glaciers, and thermal expansion
More frequent severe weather events (storms, drought)
More frequent/severe wildfires

Question 7

Q: Ocean acidification

Answer 7

rampant CO2 dissolves into oceans resulting in a decrease of the pH
changes chemistry of ocean and causes “osteoporosis of the sea”
reduces the amount of calcium carbonate available to build strong skeletons and shells

Question 8

Q: Results of sea level rise

Answer 8

devastating effects on coastal habitats
destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants.

Question 9

Q: Results of sea ice melt

Answer 9

Sea ice is as important of polar ecosystems as soil is to a forest
Ice-dependent and cold-adapted mammals are losing their habitat
Also, reduced reflectivity of solar energy

Question 10

Q: How much has Earth’s temperature increased since 1900?

Answer 10

[may need updating]
Notes say 1 degree F… but that was for 20th century? I think it’s closer to 2 now…

Question 11

Q: List some effects of climate change on species/ecosystems

Answer 11

Plant and animal ranges have shifted with temperature changes.
Trees are flowering sooner.
Increased rates of disease, esp. vector-borne. (rising temps, changing rainfall affect mosquitos)
Behavioral changes (breeding times of macaws).
Physiological changes (during egg incubation causing imbalance sex ratios affecting radiated tortoises).
Ocean acidification (“osteoporosis of the sea”).
Sea level rise devastating costal habitats.
Ice-dependent animals losing habitat.
Mass coral bleaching events and infectious disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent.

Question 12

Q: Relative impact of C02/temp increases on ocean

Answer 12

Ocean habitats sequester CO2 from atmosphere at rates up to four times higher than terrestrial forests can.
Ocean generates 50% of the oxygen we need, absorbs 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90% of the excess heat generated by these emissions.
Ocean’s ability to capture and store carbon make marine habitats highly valuable in the fight against climate change.

Question 13

Q: Coral reef importance

Answer 13

Coral reefs support over 25 percent of marine biodiversity.
They provide important economic and social benefits across the world.

Question 14

Q: Bushmeat

Answer 14

Wild animals hunted for human consumption.

Question 15

Q: Bushmeat crisis

Answer 15

Bushmeat trade rapidly expanding due to increased demand and greater accessibility.
Bushmeat consumption linked to deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola virus, Foot and Mouth disease
Large mammals are preferred game and face first wave of extinctions including rhinos, elephants, apes, and duikers.
Public awareness and education on the importance of biodiversity and sustainability are critical.
Rapidly expanding to countries and species which were previously not at risk, largely due to an increase in commercial logging, with an infrastructure of roads and trucks that links forests and hunters to cities and consumers.
Threatens the livelihoods and food security of indigenous and rural populations most depend on wildlife as a staple or supplement to their diet.

Question 16

Q: Addressing the bushmeat crisis

Answer 16

Conducting anti-poaching operations
Educating children about the importance of biodiversity and sustainability
New approaches to finding ways that the local populations can secure sustainable sources of income, food, and growth.
Integrate conservation with the culture and needs of the people where it is being done; make conservaiton bring cash flow

Question 17

Q: Illegal wildlife trade

Answer 17

Unlawful harvest and trade of live animals and plants or parts or products derived from them.
Examples: skins, leather goods, souvenirs, food. traditional medicine, pets

Question 18

Q: Why is illegal wildlife trade a major ecological threat?

Answer 18

Species traded are often highly threatened and in danger of becoming extinct. Trade is often unsustainable.
Valued at $10-$20 billion per year.

Question 19

Q: Primary motivation for illegal wildlife trade

Answer 19

Economic. Illegal wildlife trade is driven by high profit margins and often the high prices that are paid for rare species.

Question 20

Q: Efforts to stop/prevent illegal wildlife trade

Answer 20

(difficult to enforce or create protective laws in developing countries where funding for equipment, training and enforcement is scarce)
Hiring/training rangers out for protection
identifying and disrupting trafficking routes
Addressing demand
Passing/enforcing laws that prohibit the trade
Find ways local communities can use wildlife sustainably and to their benefit

Question 21

Q: Palm oil crisis

Answer 21

-Palm oil commonly contained in ~50% of goods we use every day.
-Production has more than doubled in last decade.
-Highest yield of any oil crop and is the cheapest vegetable oil to produce and refine.
-Conversion of forest land to palm plantations creates large source of emissions contributing to climate change.
(Relatively limited forest area, but are disproportionately large source of global warming emissions; often established on land converted from swamp forests which, and when drained, carbon-rich peaty soils decay, releasing large amounts of both carbon dioxide and methane. Also clearing fields/forests with burns releases pollutants and carbon.)
-Loss of animal habitats: orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and Sumatran rhino
-80% of all palm oil comes from Southeast Asia.

Question 22

Q: Addressing palm oil crisis

Answer 22

Palm oil trees can be grown sustainably.
Organizations, including U.N. and RSPO (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil) are funding palm oil farmers who agree to practice sustainable practices.
Organized consumers speaking with their pocketbooks.

Question 23

Q: Simple message to Zoo visitors about how they can help with the palm oil crisis

Answer 23

You can help save orangutans from extinction just by buying the right brands at the grocery store.
Look for the RSPO or other labeling indicating the product contains sustainably produced palm oil and boycott products without this labeling.

Question 24

Q: Gorillas on the Line (GOTL)

Answer 24

Campaign to protect gorilla habitat by recycling electronics.
Critical component of many small electronics is a mineral called coltan. Also gold, tungsten, and tin.
Primary location for mining these substances is rainforest in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, pristine gorilla habitat.
The recycling raises money to directly support gorilla conservation initiatives through AZA’s Gorilla SAFE programs, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Question 25

Q: More details about zoo’s conservation of Western Pond Turtle

Answer 25

The San Francisco Zoo’s Western Pond Turtle “Head Start” Program is helping to reintroduce them to the wild.
After hatching in the zoo, they are raised to a larger size than they would be in the wild and have a better chance of surviving.
Were once plentiful, ranged from as far south as Baja, California to as far north as British Columbia.
Only native freshwater turtle on the West Coast.

Question 26

Q: List some of the zoo’s national/international conservation efforts/projects

Answer 26

Red Panda Network
Hutan (Borneo orangutan)
Gorillas on the Line (GOTL) campaign
Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group
Snow Leopard Conservancy

Question 27

Q: What is Hutan?

Answer 27

-NGO conservation group based in Sabah, Borneo works to promote coexistence and tolerance between the local people and wildlife who share the same spaces.
-They reforest, perform scientific studies, and empower the local communities.

Question 28

Q: What is the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group?

Answer 28

NGO that enables individual zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens and related institutions to collaborate for the united purpose of conserving Madagascar’s biodiversity.

Question 29

Q: What is the Snow Leopard Conservancy

Answer 29

-Non-profit, public charity based in Sonoma, California.
-Works to engage and incorporate local communities in protecting snow leopards throughout their range.

Question 30

Q: What does the Red Panda Network do?

Answer 30

Conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.
Main threats: Deforestation and poaching.
Populations improving in areas where they are working in eastern Nepal.