Welcome!
Please read the
board!
Monarchs!
Are these worth protecting?
Why should we protect
biodiversity? (all the species on
the planet)
5 Reasons to protect biodiversity
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1. Medicinal
2. Commercial
3. Agricultural
4. Ecological
5. Ethical/Aesthetic
Reason #1:Medicinal
Rosy Periwinkle: Hodgkin’s disease
and lymphocytic leukemia
If a species
disappears, it could
have been an
important cure for a
serious disease!
• 40% of modern medicines come
from plants/animals/fungi
• 95% of known plant species have
never been tested for medicinal
value
Vampire Bat saliva
• Used to create an
anticoagulant to
prevent clotting
during surgery
Pacific Yew – Taxol cancer medicine
Reason #2: Commercial – We
should protect species because we can make
money from them.
Harvesting: Shrimp industry
Harvesting: Recreational hunting
Commercial: Ecotourism – spending money
to visit an ecosystem or a species
Visiting Nature Preserves
Whale Watching
Ecotourism
Austin’s bat colony
Snorkling
Ecotourism
Mountain biking
Whitewater Rafting
Biomimicry - engineering designs
based on natural systems
Biomimicry – engineering designs
based on natural systems
Whale fins – better wind turbines
Underwater plants – floating
energy harvesters
Reason #3: Agricultural – we
should protect species because they could strengthen
our crops
• Of 80,000 known edible
plants on the planet, we
depend on 20 species to
provide 90% of global
food supply.
• Corn, rice and wheat are
50% alone!
• So . . . What if a disease
strikes one of these
important crops?
Relying too heavily on one variety of a
species can be risky
1841-1851
•
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/foodark/potato-variety
Maybe these could be new food
sources
Winged Bean of New Guinea
Katemfe berry
Agricultural – We should protect species
because they might be pollinating our food.
Reason #4: Ecological – We should
protect species because they all play a role in their ecosystem.
Food webs
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Food webs
Symbiotic relationships
Indicator species
US Fish and Wildlife
Service estimates that
losing one plant can
trigger the loss of 30
other species
Simba says it’s all connected!
Ecological
• Ecosystem services!
• Air purification
• Water filtration
• Climate control
(absorbing CO2)
• Gene bank
• Soil building
Reason #5: Aesthetics/Recreation/Spiritual/Moral
– We should protect species because it’s the right thing to do
and a diverse world is more interesting!
We are ONE species
• 1.5 million KNOWN
species
• More are discovered
every year
Biodiversity enriches our lives!
“Endangered means there’s still time!”
• Threatened
• Endangered
• Extinct
Which reasons apply to our
friend the Monarch?