Nature Conservatin Flashcards
Conservation
Protection of widelife from irreversible damage and decline
3 main goals of nature conservation
- Maintain essential ecological processes and life support
- Preserve genetic diversity
- Ensure sustainability utilisation of species and ecosystems
Conservation brief history
Early awareness for need of regulation with increase population and use of natural resources
First national park = 1872 yellow stone
Convention on biological diversity (CBD) and 3 main goals
Signed at rio 92 by 150 government leaders (193 to date). Half the rate of biodiversity loss and improve conservation to those threatened by 2020
- Preserve
- Sustain use of resources
- Equitable distribution of benefits from use of genetic resources
Why conserve?
Thought humans are another species so should intervene. Although if we don’t it could lead to human suffering like starvation
Intergenerational equity
Roosevelt 1948 = future generations have a right to receive a world not degraded by us
Nature non use value
Intrinsic ( right of species to exist)
Extrinsic (value of knowing species exist)
Nature use values
Direct - consumptive (food, fuel) and non-consumptive (athletics, tourism)
Indirect - ecosystem services e.g nutrient and water cycles, oxygen production
Option - use value for this generation
Bequest - use value for future generation
Ecosystem service concept
Ecosystem service considers as free but there is a monetary value being place on nature = anthropocentric argument - appeals to politicians
Conserving semi natural ecosystems
Most European ecosystems = semi natural = modified by human activity from original state
CBD recognises semi natural ecosystems and the role of human activity in producing biodiversity
Most European semi natural ecosystem = very diverse and often highly valued
3 definitions of naturalness
- Original = state before man became significant
- Present = if man had not become a significant factor
- Future = if man influence was permanently removed
