Conservation biology
- Biodiversity is declining globally.
Contributes to the protection of biodiversity.
- value-based discipline
shifting baselines syndrome (Pauly 1995),
The (baseline) used to measure the status of a system that changes over time.
Estimates of current extinction rates rely on:
Rates of population decline or range contraction (habitat
loss)
The species–area relationship
100-1000 times higher than background rate
Habitat Loss
Conversion of an ecosystem to another use.
Habitat fragmentation
Breaking up continuous habitat into patches amid a human-dominated landscape
Habitat degradation
Ex. Orangutans are threatened by habitat loss from palm oil plantations
Changes that reduce quality of the habitat for many, but not all, species
Taxonomic homogenization
the spread of introduced species and native generalists and the decline of native specialists of Earths Biota
Invasive/Exotic/Introduced species
non-native, introduced species that sustain growing populations and have large effects on communities.
Rahel (2000) examined the change in number of freshwater fish species shared between all possible pairs of the lower 48 states
Higher numbers mean states share more species now than they did historically
Tragedy of the Commons
without regulations there is little incentive to act sustainably.
Why should one person act sustainably if others will not?
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
the extended boundary of nation into the ocean, and can extend 200 miles off shore.
Established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982)
IUU Fishing
Illegal – fishing that occurs against existing laws
• Unreported
– unreported or misreported catch to relevant authorities
(also
illegal)
• Unregulated – occurs in areas not under
management of conservation measures
Small populations are vulnerable to genetic drift and inbreeding, which result in
loss of genetic variability and fixation of deleterious alleles
Ex The Florida panther population had decreased to 25 in the early 1990s. In 1995, 8 pumas from Texas were released in Florida. Panther numbers tripled, levels of genetic variation doubled
Population viability analysis (PVA)
allows ecologists to assess extinction risks and evaluate management options.
PVA is used to:
Assess the risk of extinction of a population
• Identify
particularly vulnerable age or stage classes
• Determine how many
individuals are needed to establish a new population
Crouse et al. (1987) used a PVA to prioritize conservation efforts for
loggerhead sea turtles
- Efforts focused on reducing turtle bycatch mortality
Ex situ Conservation
In some cases, the only hope for extremely small populations may be to remove the species from its habitat and propagate it in sheltered conditions.
This was done for the California condor, whose population had dropped to 22 by 1982.
There are now more than 400 birds, and some have been released to the wild
Endangered Species Act
The ESA provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all ranges, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend
Endangered
species is in danger of extinction
Threatened
species is likely to become an endangered species
The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (part of NOAA)
the agencies that list species, identify critical habitat, draft recovery plans, and carry out actions to increase abundance of the species.
The ESA currently protects ~1,300 native species.
It also regulates trade in endangered species as a result of an
international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES).
CITES
CCAMLR
IWC
IUCN
- Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora
- Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic
Marine Living Resources
- International Whaling Commission
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
Surrogate species:
Protecting habitat for one species can result in the protection of other species as well, with similar habitat requirements
flagship species
is a charismatic organism that people will want to give protection to, such as the giant panda.
Umbrella species
Protection of its habitat will serve as an “umbrella” to protect many other species with similar habitat requirements, like grizzly bears (wide range).
- type of surrogate species.