1

1

Lecture 30, 08 Dec 2009Con Bio in Practice

Sustainability?

Conservation BiologyECOL 406R/506R

UA Fall 2009

Kevin BonineMary Jane Epps

Lab Thank you Cards

ReadingsChan 2008; Lackey 2007; Noss 2007

Final Exam Thurs 17 Dec 2-4pmReview Sheet?Review Session?

Office Hours this week and Monday 9:30-11

2

2

3

Thank you for a great semester. It has been fun and educational.

We wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to working with many of you again in the spring.

Best,Kevin and MJ

Thank you MJ!

4

Conservation in Practice

3

5

Hurricane Katrina $89.6 billion (2008 dollars) damage

6

Hurricane Katrina

Why is New Orleans below sea level?

4

7

8

5

9

http://www.pbs.org/now/science/delta.html

10

Over the last century, the river-dominated Mississippi delta has received increasing attention from geoscientists, biologists, engineers, and environmental planners because of the importance of the river and its deltaic environments to the economic well-being of the state of Louisiana and the nation. Population growth, subsurface resource extraction, and increased land-water use have placed demands on the delta’s natural geologic, biologic, and chemical systems, therefore modifying the time and spatial scales of natural processes within the delta and its lower alluvial valley. As a result, the combined effects of natural and human-induced processes, such as subsidence, eustatic sea level rise, salt water intrusion, and wetland loss, have produced a dynamically changing landscape and socioeconomic framework for this complex delta.

COLEMAN, J.M.; ROBERTS, H.H., and STONE, G.W., 1998. Mississippi River Delta: an Overview. Journal of Coastal Research, 14(3), 698-716. Royal Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

6

11

Mountain-Top Removal(e.g., West Virginia)

12

Valley-Fill

7

13

Biological/Ecological Issue? Social Issue?

14

Recognized as the birthplace of restoration ecology, we heal the land and restore native species.

http://uwarboretum.org/about/history/

8

15

Though they may not have anticipated it at the time, the University of Wisconsin's Arboretum committee's foresight resulted in the Arboretum's ongoing status as a pioneer in the restoration and management of ecological communities. In focusing on the re-establishment of historic landscapes, particularly those that predated large-scale human settlement, they introduced a whole new concept in ecology: ecological restoration -- the process of returning an ecosystem or piece of landscape to a previous, usually more natural, condition. Madison was a fast-growing city in the 1920's. Fortunately, some leading citizens recognized the need to preserve open space for Madison's residents. Most of the Arboretum's current holdings came from purchases these civic leaders made during the Great Depression. In addition to inexpensive land, the Depression brought a ready supply of hands to work it. Between 1935 and 1941, crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps were stationed at the Arboretum and provided most of the labor needed to begin establishing ecological communities within the Arboretum.Efforts to restore or create historic ecological communities have continued over the years, with the result that the Arboretum's collection of restored ecosystems is not only the oldest but also the most extensive such collection. In addition to these native plant and animal communities, the Arboretum, like most arboreta, has traditional collections of labeled plants arranged in garden-like displays. These horticultural collections, featuring trees and shrubs of the world, are the state's largest woody plant collection.

16

9

17

18

10

19

20http://wendt.library.wisc.edu/archive/Arboretum/SlideColl.htm

11

21

Curtis Prairie post fire, UW Arboretum

22

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/FETCH?sessionid=01-46781-65444227&recno=241&next=html/nfbrief.html&bad=error/badfetch.html&entitytoprecno=241&entitycurrecno=241&resultset=2&numrecs=12&format=B&fmtclass=gallery&entityScanReferral=FALSE

Curtis Prairie in bloom, UW Arboretum

12

23

Restoration

GoalsScaleTimeframe

FeasibilityMonitoringAdaptive Management

24

Restoration

Species ProtectionHabitat ProtectionEcosystem FunctionEcosystem Services

MitigationCompensationReference Sites

13

25

Restoration

Spectrum from NO ACTION

to

Complete Restoration(how do you define this?)

26

Ecological TheoryConcepts, predictive models and

mathematical models to explain pattern and processes in ecological systems

Restoration EcologyThe scientific process of developing theory to guide restoration and using

restoration to advance ecology.

Ecological Restoration

The practice of restoring degraded ecological systems

Don Falk

14

27

http://www.ser.org/

http://web.utk.edu/~grissino/Falk et al. 2006

28

Restoration Candidates

Human Degradation

Disturbance

Altered ecological processes

15

29

Three fundamental elements of restoration:

1. Defined reference condition.

2. Disrupted ecosystem.

3. Desired future condition.

30

Ecological Restoration: “The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.”

Restoration Ecology: 1. The study of relationships among organisms and the abiotic environment, in a context of ecological restoration. 2. The scientific study of patterns and mechanisms operating in ecological restoration.” – Don Falk et al., 2006

16

31

Ecological Restoration Goals

• Restore ecosystems to conditions consistent with their evolutionary environments

• Connect sustainable human communitieswith sustainable wildlands

• Conserve wildlands for present and futuregenerations

Covington, 2000

32

Ecological Restoration:Criteria for Success

• Sustainability

• Resistance to Invasion

• Productivity

• Nutrient Retention

• Functional Relations

• Genetic Appropriateness

Therefore, monitor!

17

33

Restoring functioning ecological communities

34

Example: Restoring species interactions

• Pollination

• Dispersal

• Herbivory & Predation

• Competition

• Trophic Structure and Dynamics

18

35

Everglades Restoration

36

Everglades RestorationFlows, Timing, Quality

$3.3 Billion

Water Quality and AgriculturePhosphorous

Land Acquisition

Stormwater Treatment

19

37

38

Lake Okeechobee

20

39

Coopertown, FL

40

Shark Valley, Everglades, FL

Native?Invasive?AlligatorsCrocodilesPythons

21

41

Southwest Watersheds

Beaver Dams

Gabions

42

Grand Canyon

Historic Flood Regime

vs.Kanab Amber Snail(ESA)

Goals in conflict?

22

43

http://www.epa.gov/region09/cleanup/arizona.html

EPA SuperFund Sites in Arizona

TIA:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/vwsoalphabetic/Tucson+International+Airport+Area?OpenDocument

44

Monitoring

• What to monitor to measure success of restoration or management efforts?

23

45

Restoration/ConservationDiscussion

What methods and techniques could you use to monitor and evaluate the success of a restoration project? What time scale would you suggest using?

46

Linking Restoration with Social Justice

Wangari MaathaiWangari Maathai is the founder of the Green Belt Movement, an environmentalist, a civil society and women's rights activist, and a parliamentarian. You can read about her life and her organization through her two books, Unbowed: A Memoir and The Green Belt Movement. You can also scan condensed versions of her life and achievements, including being awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

24

47

GBM Kenya focuses on six core programs:

-Environmental Conservation/Tree Planting-Civic & Environmental Education-Advocacy & Networking-Pan African Training Workshops-Green Belt Safaris (GBS)-Women for Change (Capacity Building)

48

What is the Green Belt Movement?

A Vision StatementBy UnattributedOctober 12, 2006The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting with the simple act of planting a tree, we give hope to ourselves and to future generations.–Wangari MaathaiWhat is the Green Belt Movement?The Green Belt Movement is one of the most prominent women’s civil society organizations, based in Kenya, advocating for human rights and supporting good governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. Its mission is to empower communities worldwide to protect the environment and to promote good governance and cultures of peace.

How It All StartedThe Green Belt Movement (GBM) was started in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004). What began as a grassroots tree planting program to address the challenges of deforestation, soil erosion and lack of water is now a vehicle for empowering women. The act of planting a tree is helping women throughout Africa become stewards of the natural environment.

But that’s just the first step.

By protecting the environment, these women are also becoming powerful champions for sustainable management of scarce resources such as water, equitable economic development, good political governance, and ultimately….. peace.

Our AchievementsToday, more than 40 million trees have been planted across Africa. The result: soil erosion has been reduced in critical watersheds, thousands of acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forest have been restored and protected, and hundreds of thousands of women and their families are standing up for their rights and those of their communities and so are living healthier, more productive lives.

Yet, so much remains to be done. Forests are still being lost, democracy is fragile, and poverty is still widespread.

Our Vision for the FutureOur goal in the next decade is to plant one billion trees worldwide. A healthy natural world is at the heart of an equitable and peaceful society. And protecting the environment is something every individual can take part in.

25

49

Sustainability

50

Define Sustainability

26

51

Define sustainability.Define sustainable development.Is this different than

economic development?Different than economic growth?

I = P x A x T

Miller 2003

Genuine Progress Indicator

52

ThroughputSustainable?

27

53

Funding for international conservation:Currently ~$7 billionEstimate for true protection $25 billion

(for comparison: in U.S. $245 billion agricultural subsidies, ~$1 trillion military budget)

$

54

3 Gorges Dam, ChinaCosts vs. Benefits