Chapter 10 Wild Species and Biodiversity

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Chapter 10Wild Species and Biodiversity
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Biological resources provide value that may be

• Instrumental
• of direct benefit/use to humans
• Intrinsic
• value for its own sake

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Fig. 10-11. Fully one-third of over 20,000
species of plants and animals surveyed were found
by biologists to be at risk of extinction
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Myers, N., R.A. Mittermeier, C.G.
Mittermeier,G.A.B. da Fonseca and J. Kent.
2000.Biodiversity hotpots for conservation
priorities. Nature 403 853-858

• Conservationists cannot protect all species under
  threat.
• How can we protect the most species at the least
  cost?
• Identify hotspots with
• 1. exceptional concentrations of endemic species
  and
• 2. exceptional loss of habitat
• This is not a new approach (e.g., Myers 1988,
  1990, and others)

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Fig 10-18. The 25 hotspots
Myers et al. 2000
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To qualify as a hotspot, an area must

• (1) at least contain 0.5 (or 1,500) of the
  worlds 300,000 vascular plant species as
  endemics.
• (2) have lost at least 70 of its primary
  vegetation.

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Main findings

• 25 Hotspots contain remaining habitat of 44 of
  all plant species worldwide and comprise 1.4 of
  the Earths surface.
• 2/3 are in the tropics/subtropics, including all
  eight of the hottest hotspots (see Table 6).
• The top three hottest hotspots are islands.
  Essentially all tropical islands are included.
• Some of the richest ones also feature some of the
  most depleted habitat.
• Some hotspots have their endemics concentrated in
  small areas.
• 38 of the total area of hotspots is protected in
  parks and reserves. The unprotected area (1.3
  million km2) presents an enormous conservation
  challenge.

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The 25 hotspots
Myers et al. 2000
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Why protect this diversity?
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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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Fig 10-3. The rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus
roseus)a plant that saves lives
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Pacific yew (Coniferophyta) Taxol (ovarian
cancer drug)
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Eucalyptus Menthol (ingredient in cough
medicine)
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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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Fig 10-2. A climbing legume with edible pods,
seeds, leaves, and roots, this tropical species
demonstrates the great potential of wild species
for human use.
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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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Ecosystem Services Benefits Supplied to Human
Societies by Natural Ecosystems (free of
charge)In addition to the production of goods,
ecosystem services support life through

• purification of air and water
• mitigation of droughts and floods
• generation and preservation of soils and renewal
  of their fertility
• detoxification and decomposition of wastes
• pollination of crops and natural vegetation
• dispersal of seeds
• cycling and movement of nutrients
• control of potential agricultural pests
• maintenance of biodiversity
• protection of coastal shores from erosion by
  waves
• protection from the suns harmful ultraviolet
  rays
• partial stabilization of climate
• moderation of weather extremes and their impacts
• provision of aesthetic beauty and intellectual
  stimulation

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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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The value of Wild Species

• Medicine
• Food
• Industrial and commercial products
• Ecological benefits
• Aesthetic and cultural benefits
• Existence value

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Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalis)
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Why are we losing species

• Habitat loss
• Habitat fragmentation
• Human population growth
• Disease and pollution
• Exotic species

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ESA 1973 - Jurisdiction over all plant and animal
species.

•    Endangered species in danger of extinction
  throughout all or a significant portion of its
  range
•     Threatened species likely to become an
  endangered species in the foreseeable future
•      Designated critical habitat land or water
  of special significance to the listed species
  survival.

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Grizzly bear hunting debated Tuesday, January 10,
2006 CNN SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) -- The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a public
debate on Monday over its plan to lift federal
protections from grizzly bears in the Yellowstone
National Park area, a measure that would pave the
way for hunting of the bears in surrounding
Western states.
Millions of tourists visit Yellowstone annually
hoping to see the outsize, hump-shouldered bears
that were hunted and trapped to near extinction
before being classified in 1975 as threatened
under the federal Endangered Species Act. In the
past three decades, the number of grizzlies in
Yellowstone and surrounding areas -- eastern
Idaho, southern Montana and northwest Wyoming --
has risen to more than 600 from 136, prompting
the government to propose removing that
population from the list of protected
wildlife. Public hearings on the proposal began
on Monday in Montana and will conclude on
Thursday in Idaho. If the measure is approved,
which could happen by the end of the year, Idaho,
Montana and Wyoming will oversee management of
grizzlies that have ventured outside the park.
Each state has crafted a plan to allow hunting of
some of those grizzlies under certain conditions,
a practice banned for more than 30 years. Each
state would have the authority to kill bears
considered chronic nuisances to humans or
livestock. Grizzlies, like gray wolves, have
been at the center of controversy in Western
states ever since they came under federal
protection. The plan to lift the grizzlies'
federal protection is opposed by some powerful
environmental groups, including the Natural
Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club,
which say it is premature to remove the bears'
safety net because their long-term success is
still not assured. The outcry has reverberated
in ranching communities in Montana and Wyoming,
where rising bear numbers are paralleled by more
encounters with people and livestock. "When they
start interfering with your livelihood, there are
too many of them," said Gus Vaile, a Montana
cattle rancher who last year lost a handful of
cows and calves to grizzlies. John Emmerich,
assistant wildlife division chief with the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said grizzlies
are less popular with those who live near them.
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The preservation of wild species has an economic
value because

• ecotourism generates large amounts of money.
• wild plants may be used to create lifesaving
  medications.
• wild plants may be used as a genetic bank for
  cultivated species.
• Americans have spent over 100 billion dollars on
  wildlife related activities in a single year.
• all of the above