Species

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Species Landscape Approaches to Conservation
Cartoon from www.caglecartoons.com
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Announcements (3/24/09)
BIOL / ENTM 4015 Writing Assignment 2 is due
Thursday (3/26/09) Wellness Fair hosted by the
Student Health Center Wednesday, March 25th,
Cotillion Ballroom, LSU Union 900 a.m. to 300
p.m.  The theme Live Green, Live Well
emphasizes the importance of integrating green
strategies while providing FREE health screenings
(e.g., height weight, blood pressure,
cholesterol, glucose, blood typing, vision,
hearing, body mass index, HIV, body composition,
heel bone calcification, iron level, etc.) 
Questions? Call 578-5718. 
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Species-Level Conservation
Most conservation efforts target species (or
populations), usually through conservation of
habitat (Groom et al. 2006)
Image of manatees from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
Cartoon from www.caglecartoons.com
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
Designed to protect critically imperiled species
from extinction owing to economic growth and
development untendered by adequate concern and
conservation
Administered by two federal agencies
National Oceanic Atmospheric Association
(NOAA Dept. of Commerce)
marine organisms
U.S. Fish Wildlife
Service (FWS Dept. of
Interior) freshwater fishes,
terrestrial organisms, etc.
Logos from www.fws.gov www.noaa.gov
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
Both NOAA (through the National Marine Fisheries
Service - NMFS) and FWS can directly list a
species through their candidate assessment
programs alternatively an individual or
organizational petition may request that the FWS
or NMFS list a species
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
A success story Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoceph
alus)
Photo range map from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
A success story Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoceph
alus)
Photo seals from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
Chronology for the lower 48 U.S. states
1700s 400,000 birds
Habitat loss, hunting, DDT
1918 Migratory Bird Treaty
1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act
1950s 412 pairs
1967 Declared endangered
1972 DDT banned in U.S.
1973 ESA
A success story Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoceph
alus)
1992 Re-classified as threatened (gt 100,000
birds)
2007 De-listed
Photo from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Legislation (Federal)
E.g., U. S. Endangered Species Act 1973
Bill Clinton (D) 42nd Potus January 20,
1993  January 20, 2001
George Bush (R) 43rd Potus January 20,
2001  January 20, 2009
65 ESA listings per year
8 ESA listings per year(through 5/24/08)
Photos from Wikipedia
data from Greenwald et al. (2006)
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Species-Level Legislation (International)
E.g., International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCNs)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) 1973
Mandated to ensure that international trade in
wild animals plants does not threaten their
survival
Especially focuses on IUCN Red List of Threatened
Endangered Species
Accords varying degrees of protection to more
than 33,000 species
Logo from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Legislation (International)
E.g., International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCNs)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) 1973
Severe population declines owing to hunting
trapping (for the international pet trade),
habitat destruction, and invasive Africanized bees
Last known wild bird died in 2000 only 120 in
captivity
A sad story Spixs Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)
Considered the only CITES species to have gone
extinct in the wild as a result of trade since
1975
Photo from Wikipedia
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Species-Level Conservation Efforts
World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly the World
Wildlife Fund)
Worlds largest conservation non-governmental
organization (NGO), by membership
5 million members
Operating budget gt 100,000,000/yr
Initially focused on endangered species, but its
mission has expanded
Logo from www.worldwildlife.org
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Species-Level Conservation Efforts
Mascots and Corporate Logos
Logos from www.saveyourlogo.org
and www.bacardi.com www.hypestudios.co.uk
www.lacoste.com www.lsu.edu
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More Population Biology
Species often occur in nature as networks of
populations whose temporal and spatial dynamics
are interconnected by dispersing individuals
(Groom et al. 2006)
Pop. B
Pop. A
Pop. D
Pop. C
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More Population Biology
Species often occur in nature as networks of
populations whose temporal and spatial dynamics
are interconnected by dispersing individuals
(Groom et al. 2006)
The populations inhabit habitats of differing
quality
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Pop. or Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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More Population Biology
Source Sink Habitats or Populations
Source ? (b-d)gt0
Sink ? (b-d)lt0
The populations inhabit habitats of differing
quality
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Pop. or Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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More Population Biology
Source Sink Habitats or Populations
Source ? (b-d)gt0
Sink ? (b-d)lt0
The populations inhabit habitats of differing
quality
Which may change from year to year
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Pop. or Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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More Population Biology
Meta-population Dynamics
As originally conceived by Levins (1969), many
populations or suitable habitat patches are
connected by dispersal across intervening matrix
of unsuitable habitat (i.e., no necessary
variability of habitat quality among patches)
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Unoccupied Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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More Population Biology
Meta-population Dynamics
Finite chance of extinction in all patches at
any given time some are occupied and some are
unoccupied metapopulation is maintained by
dispersal and recolonization of temporarily
empty patches
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Unoccupied Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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More Population Biology
Meta-population Dynamics
Extinction of a small local subpopulation can
also be prevented by the rescue effect (Brown
Kodric-Brown 1977), i.e., immigrants that arrive
from neighboring patches
Pop. or Habitat B
Pop. or Habitat A
Pop. or Habitat D
Pop. or Habitat C
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Population Viability Analysis (PVA)
The use of quantitative methods to predict the
likely future status of a population or
collection of populations of conservation
concern (Morris Doak, in Groom et al. 2006)
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Population Viability Analysis (PVA)
Often computer-intensive simulation estimates of
Minimum Viable Population Sizes (MVPs)
MVP for long-term survival (N500)
MVP for short-term survival (N50)
Image from Campbell Reece (2008) Biology 8th
ed., Benjamin Cummings Pubs.
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Ecologically Functional Populations (EFPs)
As density of a species decreases, so does its
functionality, i.e., its interactions with
other species
Some have criticized the focus on MVPs, arguing
that we should be concerned about EFPs, and
only focus on MVPs as a last resort
Redford (1992) The Empty Forest Argued that a
forest may still look like a forest soon after
its mammals and birds have been lost, but without
pollinators and seed dispersers the forests
foundation species (the trees) and ecosystem
services are in trouble
Redford (1992) BioScience 42412-422
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Landscape-Level Conservation
Wild organisms do no recognize anthropogenic
borders
Wild organisms often require more than one
habitat type
These and other considerations motivate
landscape-level conservation
Map from www.united-states-map.com satellite
image from NASA
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Landscape-Level Conservation Efforts
The Nature Conservancy
U.S.s largest conservation non-governmental
organization (NGO) by revenue
Operating budget gt 1,000,000,000 / yr
Especially well-managed charitable organization,
88 efficiency (i.e., 88 of go to
conservation, as opposed to overhead and
fundraising)
Logo from www.nature.org
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Landscape-Level Conservation Efforts
The Nature Conservancy
Has protected 69,000 km2 in U.S.
Approx. area of WV
Has protected 473,000 km2 internationally
Approx. area of Cameroon
Logo from www.nature.org Maps from Wikipedia
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Discussion Topics
Gorillas and the human condition in Africa How
do we make decisions about priorities?
Cloud seeding (Pros and cons of rainmaking)
Genetically modified vegetables (Pros and cons of
producing and consuming them)