Intro. to Marine Conservation Flashcards
Chronometer
Determines accurate longitude and latitude in order to chart coastlines
Pacific Sardine Fishery
- Sardines = most important commercial fishery in California
- High demand during WWII
- Fished to the point of commercial extinction
Shifting Baseline Syndrome
Each generation of scientists accepts the current knowledge at the beginning of their careers as a baseline for the conditions of an ecosystem and uses this to evaluate changes.
Why is this a problem
What is marine conservation biology?
The science of maintaining the sea’s biodiversity. You want to:
1. PROTECT / PRESERVE the ecosystems in the oceans and seas through planned management
2. PREVENT the over-exploitation of marine resources
What are the main principles of marine conservation biology?
- Consider human rights
- Integrating equity
- Understanding life-history traits
- Connecting population growth rate and density dependent population regulation
- Safeguarding marine ecosystem biodiversity
- Establishing integrative and adaptive management
What is the primary focus of marine conservation?
Humans!
We want to:
1. limit human-caused damages
2. Restore damaged marine ecosystems
3. Preserve vulnerable species and ecosystems of marine life
What are the weaknesses of marine conservation biology?
- It is a young field and is often easily dismissed
- There is little information available
- Conservation questions are moral questions
- Less technical / methods are less certain
What are the strengths of marine conservation biology?
- Interdisciplinary
- Flexible
- Young professionals
- More opportunities
- Lots to learn
How can we measure conservation?
- Measuring biodiversity and productivity relative to a current baseline
- Population data for a species of interest
- Public opinion
Biodiversity
Variety of all life forms (plants, animals, micro-organisms) and the ecosystems of which they are apart
Why is biodiversity good?
Adaptability
(Organisms are able to readily adapt to their environments which are constantly changing)
What is the main difference between terrestrial and marine conservation?
- We (humans) tend to focus on what we can see
- We can readily see the consequences of our activities on terrestrial ecosystems and species
Describe charismatic megafauna
Refers to human values
- Humans tend to focus more on the bigger “cooler” animals
- There is a lack in the representation of charismatic marine animals (less exposure of the public to marine life)
What are some conservation related differences between non-marine and marine realms?
- The sea is much larger
- The sea is less transparent than air: no aerial / satellite observations of animals submerged deep in the ocean
- The sea is more 3D: There are greater differences in the ocean at greater depths / Mapping distributions and biological patterns = more complex
- Spatial shifts: pelagic ecosystems undergo rapid spatial shifts compared to benthic ecosystems (due to: eddies, upwellings, water masses, convergence zones)
- Primary producer / consumer biomass = more patchy in time: on land primary producers (ex: trees) = long-lived while phytoplankton only live days to months
- Few opportunities for ex-situ conservation: conservation of marine organisms outside of their natural habitat = difficult because seawater chemistry is difficult to maintain
- Humans depend more on consuming marine life WILDLIFE: land animal protein = domesticated / bred while sea animal protein = wild species (breeding, feeding etc. is NOT regulated)
- Technologies are less selective and evolving faster: In the sea technologies have increased and selection has decreased (ex: long-line fisheries)
- Lack of ownership: The high seas are harder to regulate as they are not owned by any nation
- Cultural and legal protections: Scarce large carnivores = prized for their roles in ecosystems on land but not in the sea (ex: tigers vs sharks) / management agencies deal with marine organisms in tonnage not #’s of individuals
- Self interest > common good: humans are inherently selfish
The environmental movement
Social movement aimed to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living
Shift towards conservation
Preservation vs. Conservation
- Preservation: nature = set aside for its own sake
- Conservation: manage natural resources for human use
When did the environmental movement begin to take off in the U.S?
After WWII
- 1962: Rachel Carson: Silent Spring
- 1970: Clean Air Act
- 1970: Environmental Protection Agency
- 1972: Clean Water Act
- 1972: Marine Mammal Protection Act
- 1973: Endangered species act
Environmental Ethics
Provides moral framework for how humans interact with the natural environment
What are the 8 environmental ethics?
- Respect for intrinsic value of nature: nature should NOT be treated as a commodity / resource to be exploited
- Interdependence of species and ecosystems: humans depend on nature But nature also depends on humans to protect and preserve the environment
- Ecological sustainability: use of resources responsibly in order to preserve biodiversity
- Human responsibility: we are responsible for our own actions / decisions in regards to the environment
- Human equity: rights of humans animals and plants must be protected
- Precautionary principle: we must take precautions against environmental harm
- Right to know: Individuals have the right to access information about environmental issues
- Right to participate: citizens have the right to participate in environmental decision-making processes
Intrinsic value
The value that an entity has in itself for what it is
Instrumental value
The value that something has as a derivative in the value of something else
Subjective intrinsic value
- Created by valuers through their evaluative attitudes / judgements
- It does not exist prior to or independent of those
Objective intrinsic value
- Not humanly conferred
- It has properties / features which are valuable independent of anyones attitudes or judgements
Anthropocentrism
Only human interests need to be taken into account
