Lec 11 solving the extinction crisis

• List of seven threats on exam 

• B correct 

  • A: we are in icehouse, no land ice in the summers in the the past 

  • D: climate change included 

  • E:  

How much had diversity decreased?

• average size of wildlife populations have fallen by 75%

What is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’?

• mission is to influence, encourage, and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

• Multinational organization  

  • Protect biodiversity and stuirdship 

  • Developed countries put biodiversity at risk 

  • Falls disporptinaetelly on less developed countries 

What is the red list?

• Categories species at risk

• Extinct: most dire

  • last indiv has died with no doubt

• Extinct in wild: known only to survive in captivity, cultivation, or well outside of its natural range

  • don't exist in the wild range 

    • Gone from historic range -> but reintroduced by humans to new region, also considered extinct in wild 

• Critically endangered: facing extremely high risk of extinction in wild

  • threatened

• Endangered: facing very high risk of extinction in the wild

  • threatened

  • Vulnerable: close to qualifying or likely to qualify for a threatened category int he future

    • threatened

  • Least concern: Population is stable enough that it is unlikely to face extinction in the near future

• Data deficient

  • not enough info on abundance or distribution to estimate its risk of extinction

  • not enough info to determine species extinction 

    • Most biodiversity we don't know we exist 

what is the Species at Risk Act (SARA)?

• Federal legislation designed to meet one of Canada’s commitments towards protecting endangered species

• outlines how to manage atrisk species.

• What you can't and can do with areas with species 

What is Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada(COSEWIC)?

• designated by SARA as agency responsible for assessing species status in CANADA

• independent advisory panel to Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Canada.

• Designated to determine the status of species at risk 

What is Endangered Species Act (ESA)?

• legislation established in 2008 to protected at-risk species in Ontario, but is currently being replaced by new legislation, the Species Conservation Act* by the Ford government

  • which removes a lot of the protections outlined in the ESA.

• Protect at risk species in Ontario 

• Gone now -> replace with species conservation act 

  • Ontario gets to decide that its not in danger 

What is the result of change in regulation?

• , formerly protected habitats are being opened for development, which will cause further harm to a lot of at-risk species in Ontario.

• For example, the removal of protections from Wasaga beach will likely cause Piping Plover, an endangered species, to experience catastrophic declines due to a loss of most of their prime nesting habitat.

How are species at risk broken up into?

• broken into taxonomic groupings (includes extirpations)

What is most vulnerable taxonomic grouping?

• Most at risk are vascular plants 

  • GTA is the most at risk where most of 50% of Canadians live -> higher levels of urbanization  

  • Edges of range keep decreasing -> risk of loss 

    • Most plants South Canada is the north edge of range in Canada and not. Protected in the US 

What is a protected area?

• clearly defined geographical space managed for purpose of conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

What are the kinds of protected areas?

What is the US Papahānaumokuākea marine national monument?

• At risk species that use these waters 

• Critically endangered species that live in water above 

• Now protected with conservation actions 

• All protected species 

  • Where human activity is minimized 

    • Fishing (fishing nets (bicatch)) 

• B 

  • Ex: might be cultivated in zoos as pets or food 

• Restoration: local is best 

  • Reintroduce species that genetics come from that local location 

  • Moving btwn continents can make them invasive or they die off 

    • Moving continent -> adapt to new continent -> not always compatabile with og area 

What happened to the green sea turtles?

• Green sea turtles were listed as endangered in 1982 due to decades of overexploitation (adults and eggs).

• Costa Rica banned exploitation and established Tortuguero National Park in 1970 to protect prime nesting habitat.

• Nicaragua and other neighbouring countries signed agreements to prohibit trade and establish protections of their own.

• World-wide, people pushed for safer fishing nets to avoid accidental bycatch.

• Efforts to educate the public about this species played a role in this.

• As a result of all of this, in October of 2025, this species was reassessed and is now considered ‘least concern’.

What agreements agree to conserve the environment?

• Don't need to know them 

• Know that international agreements exist 

What are conservation land trusts?

• nonprofit organizations that purchase lands or easements in order to protect biodiversity, ensure public access, etc.

• Land trusts common in Europe, play major role in establishing protected areas (~50% of protected areas in Netherlands are privately owned)

• 150,000 km2 of protected lands in USA are owned by ~1700 private nonprofit land trusts

• Nongovernmetnal organizations 

• Land trusts 

  • When you die -> goes to conservation organization 

What is the nature conservancy of Canada?

• Canada’s biggest private nonprofit conservation organization (and is a conservation land trust)

• biggest NGO that is a conservation land trust 

  • Buys land to set up conservation areas 

  • Outbid logging companies  

What are accredited institutions?

• Accredited institutions can be an important part of preventing extinctions of at-risk species.

• This can include

  • running conservation breeding programs, housing assurance colonies, biobanking, providing personnel

  • funds for reintroduction programs, specialized technical expertise (e.g., veterinary services), and more.

• Accredited zoos have regulations to keep the mental health of animals 

  • Reposition to be conservation -> goal to return animals to the wild 

  • Toronto zoo: pays for ecological restoration -> animals released back into the area 

  • Also botanical gardens  

• Prevents extinction of species 

  • Condors: otherwise extinct 

  • Oryx -> released into wild after zoo 

  • Kingfisher: still EW until they can sustain themselves in the wild (just not bred successfully) 

What is AZA safe?

• focuses on collective expertise within AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and leverages their audiences to save at-risk species

• Find out whats in their collections (what plants and animals are represented) -> manage them like large population  

  • Larger population = healthier 

    • Large gene pool 

What is de-extinction?

• using advanced technologies, such as nuclear somatic cell transfer, to ‘bring species back’ from extinction

• Using nucleate cell transfer to bring species back from extinction  

  • Use technology by using already existing species?

    • usually species with small numbers and EW

  • species lost in industrial revolution and European colonization

What happened at the first attempt of de-exinction?

• first birth of animal from extinct subspecies by cloning

• First species to go extinct and exist and go extinct again 

  • Clone animal (died within minutes of birth) 

What is used for de-extinction?

• Critically endangered 

  • Have sperm preserved and eggs cryopresrved 

  • Can use Tissues that went extinct -> clone it 

    • Returned founder genetics 

    • No children -> genetics lost  

What are conservation biobanks?

• collections of living cells, gametes, embryos, DNA, tissues that are cryopreserved to preserve species’ genetic diversity and prevent extinctions

  • (also called cryobanks)

• Get as much tissues, gametes, and cells and freeze them 

  • Frozen -> species will not truly go extinct as long as bank exists 

What are seed banks?

• collections of seeds that are being stored and preserved to maintain genetic diversity and prevent extinctions. Note: not all seeds can be stored long-term.

• Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway) v Stores seeds for important food crops from across the globe (duplicates efforts of other seed banks as a backup safeguard) v Goal: to protect world’s food supplies in face of disaster, war, climate change, disease outbreaks, failure of other seedbanks, etc.

What are seed libraries?

• collections of seeds that are being stored in public institutes, such as libraries, with the primary goal of developing and cultivating them.

• Benefits: promotes local biodiversity, encourages local gardening, provides food security.

What is the issue with seed libraries?

• Seeds that can be stored in the cold can be added to seed banks, but seeds do not remain viable forever. There are also species whose seeds cannot be stored long term.

• Borrow seeds, plant them -> return seeds 

  • In seedbank -> over enough time they can be unviable 

  • Plant them again -> put them in the bank again 

• C

What countries are the biggest GHG contributers?

• countries that produce the most carbon pollution

  • China

  • US

  • India

How are different countries impacted the most?

• The countries that produce the most carbon pollution are not the ones most at risk due to climate change

What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?

• Outlines international climate policy on climate change

• Ultimate goal: “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere… at a level that would avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

• Other goals: nature conservation, food security, poverty reduction

• UNFCCC à response to increased understanding of our role in climate change

What are the treaties made by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?

• Two treaties 

  • Kyoto protocol: 1997

  • Paris Agreement 2015: Biggest GHG agreed to follow it -> change in leadership -> left 

    • Canada still in it 

What is solar energy?

• solar panels, solar thermal energy already in use. PV paints already exist that can turn buildings into giant E-producing solar panels

• As of 2024, 2 terawatts of energy generated this way.

What is wind energy?

• as of 2023, 1 terawatt of energy is generated by wind,

• (58% of Denmark’s energy is generated by wind).

• Can build birds and bats 

  • Shut them off when migratory organisms are sensed 

  • Also creating turbines that spin -> less risk 

What are Biofuels + hybrid cars?

• if we convert 2 billion cars to hybrid cars, this could prevent ~50 Gt of Carbon emissions by 2050.

What is nuclear power?

• Nuclear fission technology is already well tested, widely used, but it produces weapons grade bi-products and radioactive waste.

• Nuclear fusion technology is currently being developed and tested in many locations. This technology produces far less radioactive waste (none of it weapons grade).

What does climate change exacerbate?

• The frequency and severity of natural disasters are on the rise, exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change

• Speed up water cycle -> more powerful natural disasters 

• Springs earlier -> area drier near end of summer -> more wildfires 

What are nature-based solution (NbS)?

• protecting, restoring, sustainably managing ecosystems to reduce impacts of climate change and disaster risks while improving food and water security

What can reduce the impacts of climate change?

• Ecosystem services can reduce impacts of climate change

What can coral reefs do?

• ecosystem service?

  • Coral reefs, mangroves, and coastal wetland habitats can reduce power of storm surges,

  • reduce wave heights

  • prevent coastal soil and sand erosion

What can forests do?

• ecosystem service

• Forests improve air quality,

• can have a cooling effect in urban areas

  • offset heat island effect

• offer soil erosion and flood protection (esp. along waterways), protect against landslides

What is climate-smart agriculture?

• manage agricultural landscapes through NbS to reduce GHG pollution while ensuring current and future food security

• Growing crops in innovative ways to improve sustainability and reduce agricultural footprint

  • Zoo: new ways to shrink footprint to grow food  

    • Vertically 

    • In the ocean (off cont shelf) 

What is agroforestry?

• combining natural forests with tree crops or row crops

What are planetary boundries?

• Scientists have identified 8 planetary boundaries that mark out safe conditions for humanity to persist within.

  • Climate change

  • Biosphere integry

  • Land system change

  • Freshwater use

  • Phosphorus balance

  • Nitrogen balance

  • Ocean acidification

  • Aerosols

  • Stratosphric ozone

When will we exceed safe thresholds?

• Without additional policies (and actions) to mitigate climate change, we will exceed the safe thresholds for multiple boundaries by 2100.

• However, with strong action, we have the potential to curb and even reverse many of these trends!

What do the actions to stay below safe threshold include?

• Meet Paris Agreement conditions

• Shift to low-meat diets

• Improve efficiencies in water, food, and nutrient usage (esp. wrt farming)

• Strong air pollution controls

• More effective policies towards economic growth, protecting biodiversity, etc.

What are ways to protect biodiversity?

• Many conservation issues are international in scope à essential to stay informed and hold governments accountable

• Commit to changes that you can make in your own life to reduce your footprint

• Developing nations need help to protect their biodiversity •Consumes should make informed choices to prevent overexploitation

• Educating public about conservation issues is essential → stay informed and help friends and family become informed

• National parks and conservation organizations always need more funding → keep this in mind when you start your future careers

• There is a need for scientists and parataxonomists trained in classification and monitoring of species and ecosystems

• D not considered renewable