Red List
I always find it interesting to think about the amount of effort from biologists in order to find out a declining species. It is even more interesting to think that there have been species that haven't been discovered yet. Wonder if there is less discovery of new species because of the research going into conserving existing threatened species.
One such approach involves the design of stra-tegies aimed at managing protected areas as com-ponents of a larger landscape
This is a really good strategy when looking at conservation. There needs to be thought beyond one protected area and look to the surrounding landscape. As an environmental planning major, these types of systems are talked about all the time. One municipality can look at adjacent lands that are in another town and then branch off into a regional planning process.
International conservation organizations havethus become particularly active in the advocacyfor and the establishment and management ofconservation areas worldwide.
I think that this is something that needs to be implemented more. Having nations come together to discuss conservation areas should be something that is added into most diplomatic relations. Take the loss of the Amazon and its biodiversity. If a global organization could come together with leaders and scientists to come up with strategies, the world as a whole will be much better off in the future.
Agroforestry can benefit biodiversity conserva-tion in three ways
This is a really interesting topic regarding sustainable agriculture. As the majority of land is being converted into farms, concepts such as this need to take precedent over monocultures and other practices. Here is a cool website that goes more in depth and also shows different implementations. https://www.agroforestry.org/projects/agroforestry-design/5-projects
What makes a goodflagship?
I found this concept to be very unique in the way that it tries to bring more attention to environmental issues through certain species. It may be a bit biased, but at the same time can provide much more support through donations and so on. One such flagship species is that of the Polar Bear. Over recent years, the loss of sea ice and rise of the oceans has been seen all over the globe. The habitat of these animals are dwindling along with this. They are the type of animal that suits the characteristics of a flagship.
Here is more information on flagship species https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-is-a-flagship-species.htm
Theoldest isad hocestablishment, which often in-creases protected area coverage with minimalvalue for biodiversity
How are areas considered to be ad hoc conserved when they do not have much value for biodiversity? In our last class, that was one of the main conservation areas that came up in our discussion. Are these areas more for the visible benefits of our population and not for the protected measures based upon species richness?
Concerns about the oceans are usually expressedin terms of over-exploitation of relatively wide-spread, large-bodied and so relatively rare species
I understand how the main issue regarding species extinction in the ocean is through overexploitation. That is the most obvious factor that is effecting the animals. However, considering the small amount of knowledge we have on the ocean, I wonder if there are species that we will truly never discover because of other actions. With the onslaught of climate change, the changing of water temperatures and currents could have an alarming impact.
Agricultural expansion is often enabled byusingfire as a tool to clear forests, a pattern thathas occurred since the rise of civilization
Through the expansion of fire use for agricultural land transformation, there have been many changes. In the beginning there wasn't much information on how to manageably use such fires. Now practices such as controlled burning have been implemented across the world. I found a cool article that shows the impacts of burning forests in the past and how its affecting the present.
We also know that in contrast to the climatechange models run on super computers thatchange will be neither linear nor gradual.
This entire section of text was basic climate change review, yet it was also eye opening at the same time. I find it fascinating how so many changes have happened over the course of only a couple hundred years. The changes that are occurring all over the world are having detrimental effects on the habitats. It is especially concerning to think that we do not truly know how species will act once there is extreme warming of the earth. Sure, there is the thought that there will be huge migratory shifts, yet the textbooks and scientific discoveries of the past will seize to exist with the unprecedented changes.
An increasing number of studies of invasioneffects have pointed to a phenomenon called“invasional meltdown”in which two or moreintroduced species interact in such a way thatthe probability of survival and/or the impact ofat least one of them is enhanced
Invasional meltdown is a concept that seems pretty complex and very interesting. It is just another example of how resilient some species can be. It is especially interesting to find that invasive species are able to work with one another to survive and perpetuate existence in a foreign ecosystem. I found a link that further explores this phenomenon. https://www.cabi.org/ISC/ebook/20183119355 Hope this helps!
Overfishing can create trophic cascades in marinecommunities that can cause significant declines inspecies richness, and wholesale changes in coast-al food webs resulting from significant reductionsin consumer populations due to overfishing
I find that humans have had a hard time understanding the complex system that the ocean has. Just like many other areas of the earth, we have reaped the benefits at an alarming pace. Not only do we deplete one species, we normally affect all others in the sea. We put regulations on certain fishing but don't see how the ocean is a system. Overfishing a couple species will deplete the food chain and disturb other marine life. I wonder how regulations can be put in place that work, considering each country has their own laws. Also, the currents by which fish migrate from place to place needs to be taken into account. One country or place can severely impact another that is either up or down current.
Such absences may be becausethe fragment is smaller than the minimum arearequired for a single individual or breeding unit,or for a self-sustaining population.
Its sad to think about the loss of species richness due to the fragmentation of land. A first hand example I possess is the development of my neighborhood and the surrounding area. There were always steady populations of deer and coyotes surrounding the woods near my house. I always spotted deer sign and even found multiple shed antlers when I was younger. Over the years, more development took place and a shooting range was also build on an abutting property. This made the already fragmented habitat even worse off. Now I rarely see any animal sign in the woods, which shows how the already minute habitat became much too small to provide necessities.
Such lossesare alarming given the high primary productivityof mangroves, their key role as spawning andrearing areas for economically importantfishand shrimp species, and their importance forsheltering coastal areas from destructive stormsand tsunamis
I find this passage important to note. Mangrove forests play a key role in an environment for the species surrounding it. This is something that has been known for a long time, yet it is put aside once humans want to use the material. Humans tend to have no regard for the impact that our actions have against other species. A key statement in this passage is on the importance of mangrove forests in extreme weather events. Once these are eradicated from an area along with its species, humans are put at risk from more destructive storms. Everything is in a cycle and karma is always in the mix.
There arenow plans under way for developed nations tofinance the conservation of tropical forests in thedeveloping world so that these forests can contin-ue to provide the ecosystem service of acting ascarbon sinks
I find this statement to be one that is quite controversial. Most if not all developed nations have gotten to where they are economically by reaping the benefits of the surrounding natural environment. Take the U.S. for example throughout the 1800s and 1900s. Massive amounts of forests were cut for the purpose of settlements and the industrial revolution. Telling nations in the developing world to stop the logging of tropical rainforests is hypocritical honestly. However, I know that this must take place in order to allow ecosystem services to continue to take place. Another component that may get in the way of such conservation prospects is whether or not elected officials take help from other countries. I know that there was a problem with the Brazilian government and trying to tell them this exact thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_in_the_United_States
This page provides an image to the right which shows the decimation of virgin forests in the U.S over a short amount of time.
Figure 2.4
This graph displaying species richness across the world is really intriguing. It is important to note how much of the total species richness is found in tropical areas such as the amazon and the rainforests of Africa. Recent issues with the burning of these areas for farming of palm oil will only impact the map even more so.
“All nature,”he wrote,“is linkedtogether by invisible bonds, and every organiccreature, however low, however feeble, howeverdependent, is necessary to the well-being of someother among the myriad forms of life with whichthe Creator has peopled the earth.
Marsh's thinking is one that reminds me of early Native American cultures. Such cultures preached about the connectiveness between man and the natural world. What was taken from the earth was used in full and often returned. The linkage between nature and man has been slowly lost over time. Our disconnect from such areas has made humans think that all is for our advantage. It is astounding to think that once we were at the bottom of the pyramid and now are so high above it. Losing the connection with the natural world around us has created such divide.