Conservation Biology Chapter 12

Flashcards about sustainable development and conservation strategies. These cards cover definitions, challenges, local and national efforts, international agreements, and funding mechanisms.

Unsustainable Development

Development that destroys or uses up the resources on which it depends, making it unable to continue indefinitely.

Economic Development

Improvements in the efficiency, organization, and distribution of resource use or other economic activity, without necessarily increasing resource consumption.

Economic Growth

Material increases in the amount of resources used.

Goal of Sustainable Economic Development

To provide for the current and future needs of human society while protecting biodiversity.

Greenwashing

Misuse of the concept of sustainable development by corporations and organizations to present their activities as environmentally friendly with limited actual change.

Land Trusts

Organizations that purchase and protect land for conservation.

Conservation Easements and Limited Development Agreements

Agreements used by land trusts to increase the land under protection.

Limited Development/Conservation Development

A compromise that allows part of the land to be commercially developed while the remainder is protected by a conservation easement.

Conservation Leasing

Providing payments to private landowners who actively manage their land for biodiversity protection.

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

A landowner is paid for providing specific conservation services.

Contribution of Conservation Biologists

Providing government officials with key information on threats to biodiversity.

National Parks

The single largest source of protected lands in many countries.

National Legislatures and Governing Agencies

Principal bodies for developing policies that regulate environmental pollution.

UNCED (Rio Conference, 1992)

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Significant steps toward adopting a global approach to sound environmental management.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Promotes the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of benefits.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

Ensures that trade in animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

Provides guidelines for the conservation and sustainable use of migrating animals throughout their ranges.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (RCOW)

Promotes the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources.

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Promotes the conservation of plant genetic resources and the equitable sharing of the benefits that arise from them.

World Heritage Convention (WHC)

Mandates the identification and conservation of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

National Environmental Fund (NEF)

A conservation trust fund allocates the annual income from an endowment to support inadequately funded government departments and NGOs and activities.

Dept-for-nature swaps

An NGO in the developed world buys up the depts of a developing country, where The NGO agrees to forgive the dept in exchange for the country carrying out a conservation activity.