Chapter 10. Conservation - Biology

Chapter 10.
Conservation Biology
What is Conservation Biology?
• “The science of scarcity and diversity.” M. Soule (1986)
• “The applied science of maintaining the Earth’s biological
diversity” or more simply “biology as applied to conservation
issues.” M. Hunter (1996, 2002)
• “Conservation biology is the new, multidisciplinary science
that has developed to deal with the crisis confronting
biological diversity.” R. Primack (2006)
• “Conservation biology should be considered a crisis
discipline.” R. Primack (2006)
Why Conservation Biology?
• “People have been doing conservation for decades even centuries…”
(Meffe and Carroll 1994)
• What is new?
1. Every natural ecosystem on the planet has been altered by humans
2. Vast numbers of species on the planet have become prematurely
extinct
3. Natural hydrological and chemical cycles have been disrupted –
Billions of tons of topsoil have been lost
4. Genetic diversity has been eroded – Earth's climate has been altered
5. We live in a world of diminished ecological diversity.
6. We extract energy, materials, and organisms from nature and
modify landscapes at rates that cannot be sustained.
• These activities have resulted in accelerated rates of extinction,
degradation, and loss of ecosystems, and disruption of the
natural systems in which our cultures are embedded.
• The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) believes that
conservation education is a necessary step toward correcting
these problems.
• Its stated goals and objectives include “the education, at all
levels, preparatory and continuing, of the public, of biologists,
and of managers in the principles of conservation biology.”
Themes and principles of
conservation Biology
Conservation Biology has core themes and principles which are
interlinked.
• A theme – the subject of a talk.
• A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the
foundation for a system of belief or behavior or of a chain of
reasoning.
• These core themes and principles are given in the Table below.
Themes Primary Principles
Goals: the goals of conservation biology Conservation biologists seek to maintain three
important aspects of life on Earth: biological diversity,
ecological integrity, and ecological health.
Values: why biological diversity, ecological integrity, The conservation of nature is important for nature’s
and ecological health are important intrinsic values, its instrumental values, and its
psychological values.
Concepts: concepts for understanding biological An understanding of conservation is based on key

diversity, ecological integrity, and ecological health concepts in taxonomy, ecology, genetics, geography,
and evolution.
Threats: threats to biological diversity, ecological Nature has faced and continues to face numerous
integrity, and ecological health threats from humans, including direct harvesting,
habitat destruction, and introduction of non-native
species.
Actions: protection and restoration of biological Conservation requires a combination of many different
diversity, ecological integrity, and ecological health strategies.
Extinction is a natural Phenomenon
• But the rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by
experts to be between 1000 and 10,000 times higher than the
“background” or expected natural extinction rate (a highly
conservative estimate).
• Unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current
extinction phenomenon is one for which a single species - ours -
appears to be almost wholly responsible.
• This is often referred to as “the sixth extinction crisis”, after the five
known extinction waves in geological history.
How many are threatened with
extinction?
• The number of species known to be threatened with
extinction has topped 16,928.
• Their ranks include familiar species like the Polar Bear,
Hippopotamus, sharks, freshwater fish and
Mediterranean flowers.
• Marine species are proving to be just as much at risk
as their land-based counterparts.
Why should we worry about
extinction?
• Biodiversity - the variety of species and their habitats - plays
an important role in ecosystem function and in the many
services ecosystems provide. These include nutrient and
water cycling, soil formation and retention, resistance
against invasive species, plant pollination, climate regulation,
and pest and pollution control. Escalating biodiversity loss
has widespread implications for both human and
environmental security.
• The monetary value of goods and services provided by
ecosystems is estimated to amount to some 33 trillion dollars
per year – nearly twice the global production resulting from
human activities. An estimated 50,000-70,000 plant species
are used in traditional and modern medicine worldwide.
About 100 million metric tons of aquatic organisms, including
fish, molluscs and crustaceans are taken from the wild every
year and represent a vital contribution to world food
security.
• Meat from wild animals forms a critical
contribution to food sources and livelihoods in
many countries with high levels of poverty and
food insecurity. A huge range of species are
involved including monkeys, tapirs, antelopes,
pigs, pheasants, turtles and snakes.
Causes of Recent Extinctions
• Habitat destruction and degradation
• Over-exploitation (extraction, hunting, fishing etc.)
• Pollution
• Disease
• Invasions of alien species (e.g. cats and rats on islands) and invasive
plants
• Global climate change (changes in migratory species, coral bleaching)
• Protect species at risk of extinction.
Actions Required • Designate ecological reserves.
• Lessen the magnitude of human impacts on natural systems.
• Restore ecosystems that have been degraded.
• Augment populations with individuals raised in cultivation
• or captivity.
• Control the number of individuals harvested in nature.
• Prevent the establishment of non-native species, and
• eliminate non-native species that have become
• established.
• Understand and participate in the policy-making process.
• Educate others about the importance of conservation.

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Concepts: concepts for understanding biological An understanding of conservation is based on key

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