REDUCING HUMAN IMPACTOn Biological Diversity

Brown Tree Snakes, Guam Invasive species- no natural predators. Likely arrived in inadequately inspected

cargo shipments in the 50s

Has cost millions… In wildlife and commercial losses.Exotic birds- eaten eggs &

destroyed nesting sitesWriggle way into electrical

substations-4 million a year in repair costs

2000 dead mice floating in cardboard parachutes?!

Tylenol… Video Link Snake’s “Achilles Heal” Dead snakes were loaded with the pain

killer.

-Some snakes eat the mice. Natural Selection- did we just give a “leg

up” to the snakes that don’t? Natural Selection also acts on behaviours.

Earth Summit: Canada signed a treaty called the

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992- PM Jean Chretien.

3 goals: Conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of the components of bio diversity, fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

Earth Summit Harper government did not go to the

next summit/keep Canada’s “promises”.

PM elect, Justine Trudeau, has promised to go to Earth 2015 and respect signed convention.

How might an elected government’s values/polies affect how Canada is viewed on the “world stage”?

Strategies to Conserve Biological Diversity:

Protected Areas In-situ conservation refers

to the maintenance of populations of wild organisms in their functioning ecosystems

Protected AreasFirst national park, Banff (1885)Allows ecological processes to

continue relatively undisturbedNo single protected area can

offer enough land or habitat diversity to support all native species or ecosystems.

Protected AreasRely on co-operation of

national, provincial, and municipal governments, along with the support of other organizations (NGOs) and individuals.

Privatize protected areas? E.g. Harper government privatized hot

springs in the Rocky Mountain Parks: Privatized Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park, Banff Upper Hot Springs in Banff National Park, and Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park.

This means they are owned by individuals now and not the Canadian people.

This is an example of a controversial issue.

Restoration of Ecosystems and Species:

Canada has developed: Programs to restore endangered species

and habitats. Most species can never recover unless

their they have habitat in which to live. Especially true of species that were

extirpated from an area- prairie grizzly bears, for example.

Non-government organizations: Charities, not-for-profit organizations,

volunteers and private landowners contribute to restoring species and habitat.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada Ducks Unlimited Landowners are encouraged to restore

nesting areas through seeding of native grasses and shrubs.

Restoring a species that has been extirpated… Requires a lot of money and time.

Swift fox- agriculture changed its prairie habitat; vulnerable to poisoning program aimed at wolves & coyotes.

Despite efforts of WWF & Alberta Government, it is still endangered.

“Purge the Spurge” Fish Creek Park, Calgary (Friends of Fish

Creek)

Volunteers gather to hand pull leafy spurge, a non-native noxious weed that threatens to take over the park an destroy wildlife habitat.

Resource use policies…Federal and provincial

governments have laws to protect:Endangered species (very few

individuals left in the wild)Threatened species (decreasing

rapidly in the wild)

Resource use policies…Protected by law from being

hunted or captured, or in the case of plants, from being picked or transplanted.

National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk: signed by all provinces and territories in 1994

COSEWIC Committee on the Status of Endangered

Wildlife in Canada

ESCC (Endangered Species Conservation Committee)- In Alberta

Goal is to prevent species in Canada from becoming extinct as a result of human activity.

Controlling the spread of exotic species:

Purple Loosestrife Introduced from Europe, 1800s Germinates & grows faster than any

other wetland species. No natural enemies- no bird, mammal,

or fish feeds on it or uses it for shelter. Designated as a noxious weed by

Alberta Agriculture. Volunteers important.

Conservation of Genetic ResourcesEx-situ conservation: refers to conservation of components of biological diversity outside of natural habitat.

In some cases…Ex-situ conservation offers the

only chance of survival for endangered species, and plays an important role in conserving economically valuable genetic resources for forest, aquatic, and agricultural purposes.

Seed banks store varieties of wheat… Most started as voluntary exchange by farmers.

Seed banks expanded…As experts learned more about the

importance of biological diversity.Keep seeds of wild ancestors of

crop species-useful characteristics that our advancing technology might be able to use in the future.

International Plant Genetics Resources institute (IPGRI)-world seed bank

Scientists responsible determine which country will maintain the seed bank of a particular species.

Canada maintains the seed bank for barley and oats.

Preserving genes of animals: Much more difficult.

Egg and sperm cells can only be stored for a relatively short time.

Populations of living animals must also be maintained.

Sometimes… Animals are exchanged between zoos Breeding takes place using artificial

reproduction technologies

Some species, such as the whooping crane, will breed in captivity, while others will not.

Check & ReflectPage 78, #s 1-4