Biodiversity
1. The Human Count and the Future
2. An Oily Bird
3. The Need for International Cooperation
a. Earth summits discussion about
b. Climate change framework
i. Kyoto protocol
1. Proposed in Kyoto 1997 maintain the level of emission
of 1990 by 2010
2. Confirmed in Morocco 2001
3. Who were the only major holdouts of it?
c.
d.
e.
f.
Biological diversity treaty
Management, conservation, and sustainable development
Earth charter (27 ecological and economical principles)
Agenda 21 (sustainable development)
4. Human domination of earth’s ecosystems
(Vitousek et al 1997)
a. INTRO
i. “….no ecosystem is free of pervasive influence..”
ii. “,,,land transformation interacts strongly with most other
components of global change…”
b. Land transformation
i. primary driving force in the loss of biodiversity………..the effects
of land transformation extend far beyond the boundaries of the
transformed lands….”
ii. “..~15% of earth’s land surface is occupied by agriculture or
urban/industrial areas………100% of earth is affected by
increasing CO2..”
c. Loss of biodiversity: new?
i. There is strong scientific evidence that we are now in the opening
phase of a sixth massive extinction.
ii. This extinction is unprecedented in both its breadth and speed. In
the past 10,000 years, and especially the past 500, the rate of
extinction of species has increased to somewhere between 100 and
1,000 times what it was before human history began.
iii. ¼ of birds went extinct in the last 2000 yrs
iv. Big mammals hunted
v. 1st cause: land transformation
vi. 2nd cause?
d. Human alteration of several component of earth’s system
5. But, why do we care about biodiversity?
a. Plants
i. Maintain a breathable atmosphere by giving off oxygen
ii. Keep us cooler by providing shade and releasing moisture through
their leaves
iii. Prevent mud slides and flooding
iv. Remove the main “greenhouse gas,” carbon dioxide, from the
atmosphere
b. A Diverse Prescription
i. Open your medicine cabinet and you’re likely to see a number of
products derived from wild plants and animals. In fact, more than
25 percent of the medicines we rely on contain compounds derived
from or modeled on substances extracted from the natural world
ii. Most of species (rainforests) are not even identify
c. Biodiversity and the Bottom Line
i. A huge number of products derived from wild species help boost
all levels of our economy. In fact, many businesses and
manufacturers have found that biodiversity can turn a hefty profit.
Here are a few examples:
ii. Sales of prescription drugs that contain ingredients extracted or
derived from wild plants totaled more than $15 billion in the
United States in 1990.
iii. Each year, more than 350 million people visit our national parks,
wildlife refuges, and other public lands managed by the United
States Department of Interior. This visitation generates more than
400,000 jobs and more than $28 billion of economic activity.
iv. Certain types of bacteria make nitrogen available for use by crops,
pastures, forests, and other vegetation. Economists estimate that
the value of this activity is $33 billion annually.
v. More than 40 crops produced in the United States, valued at
approximately $30 billion per year, depend on insect pollination.
vi. Bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other animals pollinate 75 percent
of the world’s staple crops and 90 percent of all flowering plants.
vii. The dollar value of services provided by ecosystems throughout
the world is estimated to be $33 trillion per year. (The value of all
human-produced goods and services per year is about $18 trillion.)
d. All Species Count: beyond numbers and $$s
i. Many people believe that biodiversity should be preserved not just
because it is valuable to us in some way, but simply because it
exists. People who hold this opinion believe that each species
should be respected and protected because it is the product of
many thousands or millions of years of evolution, and we have no
right to interrupt the evolutionary process.
6. Twelve Paradigms for the 21st Century
a. Population increase is in LDCs
b. I = P + A + T* (I=impact; P=population; A=affluence or
consumption/person);
c. T=technological impact/unit of production
d. Feeding the world’s population
e. Disparities of wealth
f. Status of women and children
g. Global climate change
h. Energy supplies
i. Loss of biodiversity
j. Pollution of air and water, oceans and land
k. Persistence of wilderness
l. Globalization vs. cultural diversity
m. Conflict resolution
7. How do we solve it?
a. Education and outreach programs
b. Interdisciplinary research
c. International cooperation
d. Sustainable management as a viable solution
e. Control of population growth
f. Smile!!