CONSERVATION OF
BIODIVERSITY
TODAY, WE’RE GOING TO WORK ON TOPIC
G.3.3….
‘Discuss reasons
for the
conservation of
biodiversity
using
rainforests as
an example’
CAN SOMEONE
EXPLAIN THE
QUESTION TO
ME?
BREAKING DOWN THE QUESTION….
Discuss….IB Objective 3
…Give an account including, where possible, a
range of arguments for and against the relative
importance of various factors, or comparisons of
alternative hypotheses

 Biodiversity:
What is it….how can it be
conserved or lost…(Can we measure it?)
 Rainforests:
What are they? Why talk
specifically about them? Are they special?....
bi·o·di·ver·si·ty (b-d-vûrs-t)

1. The number and variety of organisms found
within a specified geographic region

2. The variation of life forms within a given
ecosystem

3. The variability among living organisms on
the earth, including the variability within and
between species and within and between
ecosystems.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CAN WE MEASURE BIODIVERSITY?
Yes we can!.....using the
Simpson’s Diversity
Index…
Simpson diversity Index =
1 – [(proportion of species
A)2 + (proportion of
species B)2 + …..]
TODAY’S SESSION….
Working in groups of 3, we are going to watch
some contemporary news stories about
rainforests
 As we do so, take notes to help you formulate
your discussion
 You will have 5 minutes after the videos end to
complete your discussion
 We will complete the discussion together as a
class
 Your contribution will be accorded a
participation score

SO WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT TROPICAL
RAINFORESTS (I)?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/Tropical_an
d_subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests - p00fdrh0
 BBC 2
 (3.5 minutes)

WHAT’S GOING ON IN TROPICAL
RAINFORESTS RIGHT NOW?

Anderson Cooper
WHAT CAN WE GAIN FROM RAINFORESTS?
Medicine
 (0.27 – 1.50 and 3.57 – 5.09
 Ecotourism

You have five minutes to work on and complete your
dicussion with your colleagues…
OK…LET’S DISCUSS!
WHAT DOES YOUR BOOK NOTE?
1. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS CONTAIN A
HUGE NUMBER OF SPECIES……
The majority of the
200,000 species of plants
and animals found in
Madagascar exist ONLY
THERE….
 At least 3000 fruits are
found in the rainforests; of
these only 200 are now in
use in the Western World.
The Indians of the
rainforest use over 2,000.

2. LOSS OF ONE SPECIES IMPACTS ON OTHER
SPECIES DUE TO THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF
COMMUNITIES
3. Vast quantities of carbon are locked up in
tropical rainforests – released as carbon dioxide
when forests are cleared
 4. When tropical rainforests are cleared, soil
erosion increases, leading to loss of topsoil, silting
up of rivers and increased flooding

5. Tropical rainforest
species are a source of
food and medicine for
local populations, and
also of drugs for
pharmaceutical use
6. It may be possible to
improve crop plants
and farm animals
derived from
rainforest species with
their wild
counterparts…
Natural medicines....
7. Ecotourism provides ongoing revenue, whereas
logging provides income only once…
9. SUSTAINABILITY
8. It is important for
indigenous people to
maintain intact habitats
and individual species of
cultural importance
AND FINALLY…..
Ecosystems such as the
rainforest are simply,
intrinsically…captivatin
gly incredible