Bio 317: Conservation of
Wildlife Resources
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Reading Assignment – Chapter 1 and 2
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Why this course is important to you
What wildlife conservation is
What conservation biology is and is not
Cover the history of wildlife conservation
with a focus on North America
Conservation Today:
A Crisis
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Human population growth is modifying
ecosystem processes on a global scale
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The crisis of survival of natural ecosystems is a
crisis of survival of the human species
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An understanding of ecology has become a
requirement of every educated person
Why do we need this
understanding?
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We are all faced, almost daily, with decisions that
affect conservation of wildlife:
o Should we buy only dolphin-safe tuna?
o Should we oppose efforts to weaken the
endangered species act?
o ...the clean water act?
o Should we support laws to reduce use of
fossil fuels and reduce emissions from
industries, cars, etc. that contribute to the
greenhouse effect?
o Should we support the international ban on
trade in elephant ivory?
Wildlife Conservation:
Not just one discipline
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Wildlife Conservation developed from:
o Ecology
o Population biology
o Conservation movement
And has lead to:
o Conservation biology
Ecology
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A branch of biology
Comes from the Greek “oikos” meaning
home, and “logos” meaning study
It is a field of science
Definition: The study of the
interrelationships between living things and
their biotic and abiotic environment
History of Ecology
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1793: Christian Springel - published the
“Secret of Nature Discovered”
o pollination (insects and flowers)
1859: Charles Darwin – published “The Origin
of the Species”
o “natural selection” and evolution
o sold out the day it was released (Nov. 24)
History of Ecology, continued
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1870: Ernst Haeckel - coined the term
“ECOLOGY” from oikos and logos
o actually “OEKOLOGIE” in German
1900: Sir Arthur Tansley - came up with
the term “ECOSYSTEM”
What is an Ecosystem?
Any community of living organisms and the
physical environment with which they
interact, and all of the processes that
connect them to one another
Dust – Grass – Cow – Man – Worms – Dust
Population Biology
Population - group of organisms of a single species
limited in space and time
We may define the space
The study of characteristics unique to a population
a) growth (birth, immigration)
b) decline (death, emigration)
c) density or size
d) distribution in space
e) structure (sex, age)
f) genetic makeup
g) ecology of above
History of Population Biology
1798: Thomas Malthus - described “geometric” or
“exponential” growth in humans
- J-shaped growth curve
- cannot continue that way forever
1838: P.F. Verhulst - described “logistic growth”
- S-shaped growth curve
- environment slows and limits population growth
1840: J. von Liebig - “law of the minimum”
- population is limited only until limiting factor is eliminated;
a new limiting factor will take over
TODAY: Computer programs deal with population
dynamics and predictions
Conservation Movement
Aldo Leopold
"father of wildlife management"
1920's - 40's: wrote on science of wildlife biology
popular author of "A Sand County Almanac" in
which he wrote about the "land ethic"
Conservation Movement
J. “Ding” Darling
Two-time Pulitzer prize winning political cartoonist
1932: contributed $9,000 of his own money to start
a wildlife research unit in his home state (Iowa)
1934: FDR appointed him the first head of the U.S.
Biological Survey
He was a wildlife artist on the side
Conservation Movement
Rachel Carson
a marine scientist by training
was the first to popularize ecology
wrote "Silent Spring" about the
effects of environmental
contaminants on wildlife
Development of
Conservation in America
1700's - early 1800's: we used resources almost
without regard to impact on the environment
Mid 1800's: Darwin published
Late 1800's:
science of ecology develops
first National Park (Yellowstone) established
U.S. Forest Service established
Development of
Conservation in America
Early 1900's
- More National Parks
- Bureau of Reclamation established
- National Wildlife Refuge system established
Mid 1900's
- drought and poor conservation = dust bowl era
- ecosystem concept recognized
- TVA and SCS (now NRCS) established
- baby boom leads to economic growth, increased
use of resources, and more pollution
Development of
Conservation in America
1963 - Rachel Carson's book
1964 - Wilderness Act
1970 - EPA established
1970 - National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
( Environmental Impact Assessments )
1973 - Endangered Species Act
Development of
Conservation in America
1990’s - E. O. Wilson speaks of Biophilia and
the importance of the "Diversity of Life"
Today
there is a Biodiversity Crisis
we’ve progressed to Conservation Biology
Biodiversity
Richness of genetically distinct organisms and
the ecosystems they inhabit
Variety of kinds of plants, animals, and
habitats
What is Conservation Biology?
Scientific study of biodiversity and its management
for human welfare
Focuses on interaction of humans with biodiversity
Has the specific goal of preserving biodiversity
Is an applied science, but our knowledge of
ecosystems is still primitive
What is Conservation Biology?
(continued)
Brings together many sub-fields within biology:
genetics
ecology
behavior
Constrained by laws, funds, and public opinion
Conservation Biology
3 major problems exist:
legal system of protection of endangered species
has proved inadequate
management of public lands has emphasized
exploitation of resources and commerce
in developing countries, strictly protecting a few
parks does not work
3 functions of conservation biology:
1. Clarify the ecological and economic values of
biodiversity
2. Develop technologies to protect, restore, and
manage biodiversity
3. Provide responsible opinion about the future
trends in biodiversity and their significance to
humanity
Benefits of Biodiversity
(in a nutshell )
1. Important to basic ecosystem function
2. Utilitarian benefits to man
3. Non-material benefits to human well-being
What if we loose a
"keystone" species?
e.g., American Chestnut
Now, what about an endangered species like
the red-cockaded woodpecker?
The value of biodiversity
Cost-benefit analysis is needed
hard to measure the value of wilderness to the
human spirit
but the cost to preserve wilderness and
biodiversity is great
conservation biology will help us look to the
future
Question?
Why does history repeat itself?
Answer:
Because we weren’t listening the first time!