Another rule often broken by conservation biol-ogists is the failure to incorporate some kind ofcontrolin their experimental (manipulative or men-surative) design.
Failure to incorporate a control group is disappointing to see in an academic community. The information we learn from conservation biologists in incredibly beneficial and important. Studies should be performed with legitimacy in mind so that we as humans can benefit and learn from our own standardized research methods.
Thatso much“public”land was available for nationalparks was the product of two often ignored factsin the history of conservation. Thefirst was thereservation system or the forced removal of ab-original populations onto vastly reduced andparceled“reservation”lands, and the secondwas the rise in sedentary settlements.
While studying the Federal Land Policy and Management Act for a different class, it came to my attention that the U.S. once thought about selling most of its land to the public. I am thankful for this because it allowed land to be given to the public. I also understand how taking land from one group of people and giving it to another is also a difficult issue. For my generation I am at least grateful that we continue to have National and State parks, BLM land, etc.
very little native vegetation remainsplantation forests may provide the last refuge forendemic species, such as the case of the criticallyendangered ground beetle (Holcaspis brevicula)inNew Zealand which is only known fromPinusplantations (Brockerhoffet al.2005).
Really interesting to see that a planation forest could save some species. I would have never guessed this to be an answer to species loss but I'm glad to see these plantations have one occasional upside. I wonder if plantations keep some of the native vegetation if it grows spare and infrequent.
More work is urgently needed to prescribestrategies for effective biodiversity conservationin managed forests.
This section on logging reminds me of incredibly high lumber prices. I found an article that discusses how lumber prices skyrocketed due to factory shut downs from the pandemic. Some contractors are even slowing down on construction in an effort to lower prices. I wonder if this causes more forests to be cut down as companies try and meet back up with demand.
such as old-growth forests
The loss of old-growth forests makes me think of New Hampshire. Only about 1% of our forests are considered old-growth.
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/finding-old-growth-forests-new-hampshire
Brazil because of their deforestation.
I read a news article today about how the drier weather seasons in Brazil are killing areas of the rainforest. Loss of the rainforest from deforestation and climate change is reducing potential for carbon sync. These periodic droughts result in a continuous positive feedback loop on forests. Carbon sequestration loss from tree death and continued temperature increases killing more trees. Increased conservation in drier regions could potentially lower the chances for continued rainforest loss.
Feral pigs (Susscrofa) are now widespread in forest and scrubhabitats, and their rooting causes erosion,reduces populations of some plant species, andchanges nutrient cycling by mixing organic andmineral layers of the soil
The feral pig issue is rampant in the state of Texas. I have heard of this being an issue before and have learned about hunting helicopter tours where groups shoot down groups of pigs while in the air. I am curious to know what others think of this. Is it incredibly inhumane because of the style of hunting or is it right in doing so because ecosystems would be better off without feral pigs? I found an example of a hunting website where people can sign up for this type of activity which is... interesting to say the least.
For example, giant bluefin tuna (Thunnus thyn-nus), which are captured illegally by commercialand recreationalfishers
I am curious about the legalities of catching these fish. After further research online I found a large article by Field & Stream promoting how to catch giant bluefin tuna. Whilst on a page for the WWF they talk about tagging giant bluefin tuna to track them for their safety. So I am wondering if these fish are allowed to be caught in only some locations.
https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/fishing/how-to-fish-for-giant-bluefin-tuna/
For example,elephants exert a major role in modifying vegeta-tion structure and composition as herbivores,seed dispersers, and agents of mortality formany small trees (Cristoffer and Peres 2003).
Trophy hunting in Africa is a truly sad tale. But, I do wonder how people see trophy hunting when it in return saves other animals. There are examples of large animal sanctuaries that rely on funds from a few trophy kills a year. The cost a few animals lives could save many more. While in a perfect world this would never happen, though is it okay for humans to decide how we fund saving large mammals in Africa? This national geographic article goes deeper into the explanation of funding wildlife from trophy hunting.
Frequently, species with more-specialized ecological requirements are thoselost from communities in fragments.
I would assume that problems like this arise in areas with high amounts of species richness. My first thought after reading this is one of Darwin's landmarks- the Galapagos. The endemic species here would likely not survive if humans took over a large majority of each island.
, the supply of native beepollinators is lowest in exactly the regionswhere the demand for pollination services ishighest.
I'd like to know more of what is harming these bees besides CCD. I would guess that areas that require large native bee populations are effected by pesticides due to the large human populations near by.
Ecotourism
It must be very hard to weigh the pros and cons of ecotourism. I was reading an instagram post today by National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen talking about this. He said, "Take The Bahamas, for example. This region has the largest shark diving economy in the world, contributing over $110 million US annually to the local GDP. In fact, a single Caribbean reef shark is estimated to be worth $250,000 over its lifetime via tourism versus a one-time value of $50-60 when fished. No matter which way you look at it, a shark is worth so much more alive than dead." People should not have a price on their heads and neither should animals. I myself would like to see certain wonders of the world like the Galapagos but if it became extremely harmful to visit that environment I would gladly skip out on the idea.
This typically occurs because these spe-cies are very closely related, and look very similar(cryptic species),
I would be interested to learn more about cryptic species that Professor Jolles has studied because I believe she mentioned studying this in our first class. I enjoy foraging for mushrooms and have always strayed away from mushrooms that are difficult to identify when closely related to a potentially poison relative.
I urge scientists and amateursto make species lists every time they visit asite.
This sentence is very important to me. As an amateur scientist I always like to learn about species within an area. In our neck of the woods we have a lot less biodiversity than in a place like Venezuela. It would be relatively easy for me to name all animals and trees within an acre of most areas in New Hampshire but when it comes down to plants, fungi, and slime molds I would be at a loss. I cannot imagine how difficult this task must be in warmer climates with high biodiversity. Even if it's difficult, I just like this author, appreciate species lists in all types of biomes.
ncorporated insights from the social sciences, hu-manities, and ethics.
Conservation is a great benefit to the human psyche as mentioned here. So many people use the outdoors as a therapeutic escape from their day to day lives. So many excellent worldwide benefits by conserving areas.
obligations to future generations andother life forms
Still a relevant issue today, at least one I hear about in my own personal life. Some members of older generations truly believe in passing down their problems without feeling any remorse. I'd be curious to know stories of people with this specific mentality learning to change their minds.
That movement rodeTheodore Roosevelt’s presidency into public con-sciousness and across the American landscape.
Theodore Roosevelt is arguable one of, if not the most conservationist president in United States history!
Makingbiodiversity conservation relevant to most ofthe world requires bridging this gap, with anemphasis on sustainability, equity and adiversity of approaches.
It can be very hard to bridge a gap in explaining conservation to those who simply don't care. Throughout my life I've met multiple people who could care less about flora and fauna. I've even heard conversations about wanting to drill for oil in national parks. Not everyones mind can be changed but maybe explaining biodiversity science can challenge thoughts.