Conservation

What is the problem?

Human domination through technology and consumption and alteration of the natural environment

Extinction

we have lost 52% of animal populations, 39% from land and sea and 76% from freshwater

we are on the edge of the 6th extinction

Background extinction rate

naturally bc of competition, specialization, restricted geographical range, local catastrophes, small & few populations, migration losses, low genetic diversity, aggregating species, poor dispersal ability, large home range, population decline etc. But the current rate of extinction is 100x that of background

Extinction Debt

population becomes so low that its hard to find mates, leads to inbreeding and extinction is inevitable though may persist for years (doomed to failure)

Causes of Loss

1. habitat destruction (agriculture, ranching, commercial, water projects, recreation, logging, mining) felt greatest in tropical forests, wetlands, prairies, and reefs

2. exploitation of organisms by harvesting, fishing, hunting, etc (whales, passenger pigeons)

3. invasive organisms (rat islands, mongoses, diseases)

4. environmental degradation (grazing (leads to erosion), fertilizers/pesticides (leads to eutrophication, acid rain, oil spills)

5. climate change - rising temps, sea level rise (loss of marshes & mangroves), extreme weather (hurricanes, floods, drought), ocean temp & acidification (coral bleaching)

Why are reefs threatened?

siltation, pollution, ocean acidification and raising seawater temps leads to coral bleaching

Animal Diseases

• Chytrid fungus infects amphibians

• White Nose Disease infects bats

• Canine Distemper infects lions

Solutions for Conservation

• Devices (turtle excluder device)

• Laws (Endangered species act, clean water act, CITES, protected areas)

• Captivity (Cali Condor)

Why are animals valued?

provisioning, ecosystems, cultural and aesthetic

Wilson’s 3 Wealths

material, cultural, biological