Oakridge
Green
Summit
2012
Study Guide
GLOBAL WILDLIFE
REHABILITATION AND
BIODIVERSITY RESTORATION
Oakridge Green Summit 2012
Study Material
Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
This document contains the study materials for the Global Wildlife
Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration committee of the Oakridge Green
Summit 2012. Delegates are advised to review this document thoroughly and
further their own research for the conference with the various official
corporation and NGO sites on the net. Delegates are further encouraged to
fully utilise these official websites and refrain from using fraudulent or fake
websites with falsified information.
The Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration committee aims
to find solutions to preserve Biodiversity today. With the ever rising rates of
habitat destruction due to resource extraction is serving as a guillotine for
living organisms in the world today. Without these various habitats thriving we
will eventually lose their resources causing our own atrophy.
Through discussion and debate of the various organizations and bodies
controlling these habitats we aim to find the solution for these endangered
animal and plant species to thrive once more.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries regarding anything in the
committee.
oakridgesuhaib@gmail.com - Suhaib Arifuddin
asmaajani@gmail.com – Asma Ajani
Oakridge Green Summit 2012
Study Material
Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
Table of Contents
An Introduction to Biodiversity Restoration
Recent developments
Subtopic 1: Biodiversity as a genetic resource
Background Information
Reference sites
Subtopic 2: Challenges and Opportunities for Conservation
Background Information
Reference sites
Subtopic 3: Biodiversity and Global Climate Change
Background Information
Reference sites
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Study Material
Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
An introduction: Biodiversity Restoration
Biodiversity refers to the number and variety of living species, and these
include all the species in the world. There exist about 1.4 to 1.8 million species
that have been named, and there are estimated to be around 100 million
species in the world today. 25% of the 1.4 million species that are named fall
into the category “Coleoptera” (beetles).
Biodiversity, apart from its aesthetic value, could be of abundant use of
humans. Scientists have classified the use of biodiversity into two categories –
the direct uses and the indirect uses. The direct use of biodiversity consists
food and nutrition, while the indirect uses of biodiversity consist of tourism,
recreation, research, education, human health and biological control. Apart
from these, the genes from the different species could be used in the process
of artificial selection, or genetic modification to produce new species.
While there exist a large number of species in the world, these numbers are
declining at a rapid rate due to extinction. While extinction of species is a
Oakridge Green Summit 2012
Study Material
Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
natural process (called background extinction), the rate of extinction observed
today is alarmingly higher than the background rate. The background rate of
extinction is about 10-100 species a year, while the current rate of extinction is
about one specie a day. The two major solutions for this are the creation of
gene banks, and the preservation/conservation of habitats.
Recent Developments
Snake and shrimp declared extinct
Endangered Species Review too late to save South Florida Rainbow Snake &
Florida Fairy Shrimp
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have announced that two species endemic to
Florida, the South Florida rainbow snake and the Florida fairy shrimp, have
been declared extinct. The finding came in response to a petition filed by the
Center for Biological Diversity in 2010 seeking Endangered Species Act
protection for the rainbow snake, fairy shrimp and more than 400 aquatic
species in the south-eastern United States.
"It's heart-wrenching to learn that these two unique Florida species have been
lost forever. Like most species that go extinct, these two were not protected
under the Endangered Species Act, which is the most powerful tool we have
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
for saving our nation's plants and animals from disappearing," said Tierra
Curry, a conservation biologist with the Center
Discovery of all species on Earth achievable this century
There are far fewer species on Earth - just two million - than widely believed and it
is possible to discover them all this century, according to Associate Professor Mark
Costello from The University of Auckland's Leigh Marine Laboratory.
In a keynote address at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity in
Aberdeen recently, Dr Costello presented new research showing that greater
progress has been made describing the world's biodiversity than previously
thought.
‘This is excellent news,' he said. ‘The discovery and description of new species
is essential if we are to protect them, and learning more about the diversity of
life on Earth will help us to understand the ecosystems we depend on for our
survival. It is a massive task, however, and should be a top priority in world
science
Rainforests worth three times more alive than dead
In doing preserving rainforests, such actions can also deliver multiple Green
Economy benefits from combating climate change, securing water supplies and
improved livelihoods while throwing a life line to the world's remaining
populations of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans.
Oakridge Green Summit 2012
Study Material
Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
The findings come in a new report, requested by the Republic of Indonesia,
from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), under its Great Apes Survival
Partnership (GRASP).
Under the UN climate convention, governments are negotiating a mechanism
to provide payments for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest
Degradation plus additional forest activities (REDD+), with the aim of halving
deforestation by 2020.
First record of a Dwarf sperm whale in UK waters
Dr Peter Evans, Director of the marine research charity Sea Watch, has
confirmed that a small whale spotted in Mounts Bay next to the Cornish town
of Penzance was a dwarf sperm whale - a tropical/subtropical species that has
never before been recorded off the UK coast.
The animal, little more than the size of a porpoise, swam into Mounts Bay on
Sunday October 9. As it came close to shore, a local person spotted it on the
beach and reported it to the local coastguard and to the Cornwall Wildlife
Trust strandings officer, Jan Loveridge. A member of the public then managed
to re-float the animal which subsequently swam away.
Local members of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and a local tourist
boat operator, Marine Discovery, then observed the whale for some time
before it disappeared from view. Initially they thought from its size that it was
a harbour porpoise.
Oakridge Green Summit 2012
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
Subtopic 1: Biodiversity as a genetic resource
Background Information
One of the solutions to the rapid rate of extinction is the creation of “Gene
Banks” – preserving the genes of the species, which could then be used for
scientific, medical, educational and environmental purposes.
The genes of different species are used by scientists to create GM crops –
crops which can last longer, are more immune to diseases and insects, have
more nutrients, or even taste better. While the importance of GM crops is
disputable, they could prevent famine by feeding millions. Further, the genes
could be used to find the cure to numerous diseases and medical ailments.
Genes are preserved also for educational and environmental/ethical purposes
since no specie will be completely extinct, if the genes are preserved.
Biodiversity and genetic resources thus have a direct relationship – the greater
the biodiversity, the more genes that could be used and/or preserved, and the
more genes that are preserved, the less the number of species that are
completely extinct, and the less the loss of biodiversity.
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
There are numerous individuals and organizations that are working towards
the
preservation
of
biodiversity
and
genetic
resources/banks.
The
organizations could be broadly classified into three categories, based on how
they work to prevent biodiversity and gene loss.
The first category consists of international organizations who work to conserve
the environment in general. However, a very significant part of their work
focuses on the conservation of habitats such as forests and oceans, and
thereby conserving genetic diversity and resources.
The second category consists of the numerous organizations that work solely
with the sole purpose of preserving wildlife. They either work to protect all the
species in a given habitat, such as a forest, park or ocean, or work towards the
protection of one specie or one family of animals, throughout the world.
The third category consists of the organizations who aim to save wildlife in
general. They do so by initiating specific projects all over the globe, such as the
conservation of pandas in china or the conservation of tigers in India. They may
also achieve their aim by monitoring certain activity such as trading of species
across borders.
Corporates on the other hand, through their activities may lead to the
destruction of biodiversity.
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
 Oil and gas companies for instance destroy habitats on land through
drilling, and the marine ecosystems through shipping of the oil (oil
leaks).
 Paper and timber industries contribute to the destruction of habitats
through logging and deforestation.
 Chemical companies and other factories and production plants lead to
the discharge of toxic substances into water bodies leading to the
destruction of the marine ecosystems.
 Companies dealing with tobacco lead to logging deforestation for paper
and the tobacco leaf.
However, as a part of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), numerous
corporates donate to charities and environmental organizations, thus enabling
them to undertake their activities at a large scale.
Reference material
 An
introduction
to
Biodiversity:
http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversity-importantwho-cares
 “Vanishing wildlife”: http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-isbiodiversity-important-who-cares
 http://www.nordgen.org/index.php/en/content/view/full/285/
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
 The GM debate: http://ecowatch.org/2012/ten-ways-monsanto-andbig-ag-are-trying-to-kill-you-and-the-planet/
 Gene banks: http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/important-genebanks
 Oil
companies:
http://www1.american.edu/ted/projects/tedcross/xoilpr15.htm
 Paper and timber: http://www.cbd.int/en/business/sectors/forestryand-paper , http://pub.epsilon.slu.se/1691/
 Tobacco
companies
:
http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-75153
 Chemical
companies:
http://www.scoop.it/t/biodiversity-is-life,
http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/biodiversity/
 Companies
producing
Electronics
:
http://www.cfact.org/a/1774/Destroying-biodiversity
 Conservation/preservation/environmental organizations:
o http://www.conservationandwildlife.com/wildlife-conservation/
o http://www.preservearticles.com/201102244190/why-should-weconserve-our-wildlife.html
o http://animals.about.com/od/animalswildlife101/a/threats.htm
o http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/WCS-004.pdf
 WWF: http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_quick_facts.cfm
o http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2015/2015/gene_banks.html
o http://www.bgci.org/resources/article/0032/
Subtopic II: Opportunities and Challenges for Conservation
Background Information
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
Our world today is plagued with many issues regarding wildlife and biodiversity
such as various species of plants and animals becoming extinct, the extensive
habitat destruction, and the endangering of various species due to poaching.
We depend on biodiversity for 80% of resources and if we talk about
sustainable development we must also take into account sustainable
development of biodiversity which if not looked into will mean our economies
will fall with the earth.
Excessive demand
The earth’s forest resources such timber, rubber, etc. are supplied to a
population of about 7 billion people. There is an ever-growing demand for
resources and biodiversity is at loss so no one sees the fault until resources run
out. Ecologically destructive economic activities are inefficient not merely
because of the resulting resource misallocation but also because of the
(excessive) scale of activity levels; excessive in relation to the limited
availability of natural capital when the latter is complementary to humanmade capital. In order to bring about sustainable resource conservation and
management, it is essential to adopt several different approaches for
managing our forests and biodiversity.
Laws of Conservation
Laws and policies governing natural resources are still not sufficient enough to
tackle the scale of the problem, and these insufficiencies have not been
addressed with a sense of urgency. Many governments are monetarily enticed
by various conglomerates not to adopt a limiting factor towards biodiversity
conservation due to the large demand. Action must be taken by these
conglomerates and governments to abandon this relationship and conserve
biodiversity
Habitat degradation
The major threats to biodiversity that result from human activity are habitat
destruction, habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, overexploitation of
species for human use, introduction of exotic species, and increased spread of
diseases. Most threatened species face at least two or more of these threats,
speeding their way to extinction and hindering efforts to protect them.
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
Typically, these threats develop so rapidly and on such a large scale that
species are not able to adapt genetically to the changes or disperse to a more
hospitable location.
Varietal Habitat Restoration
After all the damage already caused to the world’s ecosystems we are still
attempting to rebuild. Rebuilding itself is a process that requires resources,
funds, manpower and research to carry out. The reconstructing of these
various ecosystems is very different and each requires its own independent
research funds. Another hindrance to restoration of these ecosystems is the
repopulation of animals and plants of a similar nature although in some cases
the fauna inhabit it themselves. Additionally it will take time for these new
ecosystems to develop in diversity of both its abiotic and biotic factors.
Future Impact
Without their habitats and due to external factors such as poaching, soon the
flora and fauna will die out, severely disturbing the balance of their ecosystem
and the world. Inevitably we will not get our resources and soon humans
themselves may die out after years of evolution our species has become
dependent on these luxuries and commodities provided by the earth.
Opportunities for Conservation
-Expansion of the protected area network i.e. Wildlife Reserves
-Population surveys and assessments and database creation
-Improved protection efforts and a landscape approach to conservation
-The redrafting of corporate policy regarding the excessive amount of product
bought or extracted from the earth
- Allocations of funds to various environmental organisations for biodiversity
restoration
Reference links
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0516-app-forest-moratorium.html#
http://cms.iucn.org/index.cfm?uNewsID=585
http://www.rainforestalliance.org/resources/documents/biodiversity_certification.pdf (first 5 pages)
http://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk/downloads/329_1298.pdf
http://oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-releases/oceanachallenges-government-decision-allowing-eight-us-fisheries-to-harm-14-timesmore-t
http://www.itopf.com/marine-spills/effects/recovery/
http://www.globalissues.org/article/177/nature-and-animal-conservation
(need for conservation)
Subtopic 3: Biodiversity and global climate change
Background Information:
The climate has changed drastically over the past century – the average
temperatures have risen, winters and summers have become more drastic, dry
areas have experienced more droughts, and wet areas, more floods. This is the
result of human activity, but apart from humans, also impacts other species to
the point where some of them would not be able to adapt to the change and
would become extinct. Climate change thus affects biodiversity.
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
On the other hand, forests absorb carbon dioxide – act as carbon sinks – and
help reduce the average temperatures. Thus, an increased biodiversity could
help reduce climate change.
Climate change over the past century and predictions
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working
Group I (WGI) Fourth Assessment Report, from 1850 to 2005, the average
global temperature increased by about 0.76ºC and global mean sea level rose
by 12 to 22 cm during the last century.
Climate change predictions are not encouraging; according to the IPCC WGI
Fourth Assessment Report, a further increase in temperatures of 1.4°C to 5.8°C
by 2100 is projected.
Vulnerability of biodiversity to climate change
Habitat fragmentation due to melting glaciers has confined many species to
relatively small areas within their previous ranges, resulting in reduced genetic
variability.
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
The rate and magnitude of climate change induced by increased greenhouse
gases emissions has and will continue to affect biodiversity either directly or in
combination with other drivers of change.
According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, climate change is likely to
become one of the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss by the end of
the century. Climate change is already forcing biodiversity to adapt either
through shifting habitat, changing life cycles, or the development of new
physical traits.
Biodiversity affects climate change
Biodiversity can support efforts to reduce the negative effects of climate
change. Conserved or restored habitats can remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, thus helping to address climate change by storing carbon.
Further, conserving in-tact ecosystems, such as mangroves, for example, can
help reduce the disastrous impacts of climate change such as flooding and
storm surges.
Organizations that help preserve biodiversity thus acknowledge the impact
that biodiversity has over reducing the rate of climate change. Further,
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
organizations that work for the environment in general, help prevent future
climatic changes, reducing the potential negative impact of climatic change
on biodiversity.
The activities of corporates, on the other hand lead to climatic change. The
release of CFCs from heaters and coolers and the discharge of pollutants from
the exhausts lead to global warming, which increases the average world
temperatures.
At the same time, Corporates may provide funds to
environmental organizations who work to reduce climate change, as a part of
CSR.
Reference sites
 http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-globalwarming-introduction#
 http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/globalwarmingtb.html
 http://www.skepticalscience.com/climate-change-global-warming.htm
 http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/gw-causes/
 http://www.globalissues.org/article/172/climate-change-affectsbiodiversity

http://www.countdown2010.net/2010/wp-content/uploads/FS6Climate_small.PDF
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Global Wildlife Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration
http://biology.uoregon.edu/people/green/publications/Harte_Nature_2004%20Climate%20
change%20extinction%20and%20risk.pdf