Biodiversity Conservation

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Biodiversity Conservation
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Why worry about biodiversity loss?

• Ecological (Ecosystem services)
• Economic
• Aesthetic
• Ethical

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Ecosystem Services(some examples)

• Soil fertility
• Flood control
• Erosion control
• Pollution remediation
• Pollination
• Pest Control

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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

• Positive effects of diversity on NPP
• Robustness to environmental change
• Is species the right unit of diversity to address
  this question?

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Economic Values

• Biotechnology
• Pharmaceuticals
• Renewable resources
• Ecotourism
• Products from wild species

Pacific yew (US Forest Service photo)
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Estimates of the Economic Value of Biodiversity

• Bio-prospecting - very low marginal values
  demonstrated by Simpson (1996)
• Ecotourism - 90-200 billion (1988) in annual
  global expenditures
• Willingness-to-pay studies for endangered species
  (0-100 per individual depending on species)

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Conserving Biodiversity

• Design and protect productive and sustainable
  ecological systems
• Conserve genetic and species diversity
• Preserve ecological communities
• Protect watersheds
• Provide recreational opportunities

(Green and Paine 1997)
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Conservation Approaches (Soulé 1991)

• In situ and inter situ reserves
• Extractive reserves
• Restoration projects
• Zooparks
• Agroecosystems
• Living ex situ reserves
• Suspended ex situ reserves

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Conservation targets

• Ecosystem processes
• Genetic diversity
• Species
• All
• Keystones
• Flagships
• Umbrellas
• Communities

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How well do existing reserves protect
biodiversity?
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8 Life zones defined by latitude and elevation
5 Soil productivity zones defined by soil depth,
texture, organic matter
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Fig 4
Distribution of life zones and soil productivity
classes in western US
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Fig 6
Distribution of reserves in the western US
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Systematic Reserve Siting and Design

• Identify and protect hotspots
• Site representative systems
• Design for Viability (Persistence)
• Avoid conflicts with other social goals

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Reserve Siting and Design

• Identify and protect hotspots
• Site representative systems
• Design for Viability (Persistence)
• Avoid conflicts with other social goals

Davis et al. 1999
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Reserve Siting and Design

• Identify and protect hotspots
• Site representative systems
• Design for Viability (Persistence)
• Avoid conflicts with other social goals

Kautz Cox 2001
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How preventable? (Pimm et al. Science 9/21/01)

• Much biodiversity loss for activities that
  contribute little to human well-being
• Marginal tropical soils for agriculture
• Poorly conceived public works projects
• Fishing on coral reefs
• 25-50 billion to protect hotspots
• 30 billion/yr to manage global reserve network
• Training and education centers (0.5B over 10 yrs)

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Species-based conservation
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Stephens Kangaroo Rat
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California condor chick
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U.S. Endangered Species Program

• TOTAL U.S. ENDANGERED987 (388 animals, 599
  plants)
• TOTAL U.S. THREATENED--276 (129 animals, 147
  plants)
• TOTAL U.S. SPECIES--1,263 (517 animals, 746
  plants)

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Habitat Conservation Plans

• An HCP cannot be approved unless the
• "the taking will be incidental",
• "the applicant will, to the maximum extent
  practicable, minimize and mitigate the impacts of
  such takings", and

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Habitat Conservation Plans

• "the applicant will ensure that adequate
  funding of the plan will be provided", and
• "the taking will not appreciably reduce the
  likelihood of the survival and recovery of the
  species in the wild", and
• any additional measures required by the
  Secretary "will be met".

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Habitat Conservation Plans

• 407 approved HCPs covering 38 million acres
• 526 species covered

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Multispecies habitat conservation plans
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CA NCCP ActFish and Game Code Section 2800-2840

• An NCCP identifies and provides for the regional
  or areawide protection and perpetuation of
  natural wildlife diversity, while allowing
  compatible and appropriate development and
  growth.
• Negotiated agreements
• Non-regulatory guidelines
• Take permits

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Central Coastal NCCP So. Orange Co NCCP (340,000
ac) San Diego MSCP (580,000 ac) San Diego
MHCP (610,000 acres).
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Southern Coastal Sage Scrub
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NCCP target species
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http//www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cnty/cntydepts/landu
se/planning/Resource/24_mitbnk/mitbnkindex.html
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http//www.irvineco.com/letsgooutside/irlr/landres
erve.asp
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Source California Department of Forestry
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Crooks (2002)
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Argentine Ant in California
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A
B
Fig. 21
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Other NCCPs in California

• http//www.dfg.ca.gov/nccp/status.htmPlacer

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Other conservation mechanisms

• Direct purchase of ecological services
• E.g., U.S. conservation reserve program spends
  1.5 billion/yr to fallow 30-40 million acres.
• Tax incentives (e.g., easements, management
  incentives such as adopt a pothole, forest
  preservation contracts in Costa Rica 20/ac).
• Eco-entrepreneur incentives
• http//www.iucn.org/themes/spg/beyond_fences/beyon
  d_fences.htmlcontents

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Private Sector Role in Biodiversity
Conservationhttp//biodiversityeconomics.org/inde
x.htm http//biodiversityeconomics.org/pdf/topics
-137-00.pdf

• Sustainable harvest of traditional commodities
• Bioprospecting
• New eco-friendly commidities
• Community-based, collaborative management
• Ecotourism
• Some examples
• http//www.coastforestconservationinitiative.com/a
  sxfiles/high_speed.html
• http//biodiversityeconomics.org/business/handbook
  /hand-01-29.htm
• http//biodiversityeconomics.org/business/handbook
  /hand-01-25.htm

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Private Sector (2)

• Direct purchase of ecological services
• Green Manufacturing
• http//genomics.phrma.org/
• http//cgdm.berkeley.edu/
• Smart Growth Initiatives
• Corporate location
• http//research.uli.org/Content/Reports/PolicyPape
  rs/PFR_669.pdf

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http//www.wildlandsinc.com/
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Major obstacles to private sector conservation