Chapter 17

  • Overview: Human Impact
      - Homo sapiens are among the most abundant vertebrates on Earth.
      - Human actions now dictate the fate of nearly all other species.
      - The long-term survival of humanity is entwined with the fate of other species.
      - Conservation efforts must prioritize both nonhuman species and the sustainability of the human race.

Bending the Curve of Biodiversity Loss

  • Current vs. Future Scenarios:
      - “Business as unusual” trajectory (blue line) leads to significant biodiversity loss.
      - Increased conservation efforts (red line) can stabilize biodiversity at current levels.
      - A combination of conservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable development (green line) will create a nature-positive future.

Difference between Conservation and Restoration

  • Key Distinction:
      - Conservation and restoration must collaborate to address biodiversity loss.

  • Components of Remediation:
      - Preserving what remains of ecosystems.
      - Recovering what has been lost due to human impact.

Restoration

  • Definition: Restoration ecology is the field focused on repairing ecosystems damaged, degraded, or destroyed beyond natural recovery timelines.

  • Ecological Restoration: The practice of using human intervention to reverse existing ecological damage.

Importance of Ecological Restoration

  • While vital, conservation is limited in the Anthropocene due to existing damages.

  • Restoration has been shown to:
      - Increase biodiversity by approximately 68% based on 54 restoration projects in agroecosystems.
      - Enhance ecosystem services by around 48%.

Complementary Nature of Conservation and Restoration

  • Conservation biology methodologies rely on:
      - Biological sciences.
      - Natural resource management techniques.

  • Ecological restoration utilizes knowledge from:
      - Ecological design (landscape architecture, urban planning).
      - Engineering (environmental, civil, and structural).
      - Geosciences (hydrology, geomorphology, pedology).
      - Construction methodologies.

Types of Ecological Restoration

  • Augmentation: Enhances ecosystem structure/functionality via chemical or biological additions (e.g., gravel augmentation to enhance fish spawning).

  • Rehabilitation: Restores some ecosystem functionality where full restoration isn’t possible (e.g., replanting trees to reduce erosion).

  • Reclamation: Diminishes environmental damage, such as from mining, to return land to a beneficial state.

  • Remediation: Involves cleaning contaminants from ecosystems to ensure health for humans and the environment.

  • Re-creation: Constructs novel ecosystems that reflect certain original aspects when original systems can’t be restored (e.g., creating wetlands from drained agricultural land).

  • Example of Individual Impact:
      - Jadav “Molai” Payeng plants a tree daily in Assam to combat deforestation.
      - Achieved the creation of a forest covering approximately 1,400 acres, which now supports diverse wildlife including Bengal tigers and Indian rhinoceros.

Considerations for Ecosystem Restoration

  • Debates on restoration references:
      - Should ecosystems be restored to a historical point? What is the appropriate time frame?
      - Should we aim for reference conditions of currently perceived healthy ecosystems?

Proposals for Restoring Extinct Species

  • Utilization of genetic cloning technologies may allow for the resurrection of recently extinct species (e.g., passenger pigeon, dodo).

  • Pleistocene rewilding proponents suggest reintroducing large extinct animals like woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers to restore past ecosystems.

  • Reiterate understanding of ecological restoration's role in biodiversity conservation and advancing sustainable development factors as outlined in previous sections.

Sustainable Development

  • Definition: Sustainable development harmonizes the needs of humanity with those of nature.
      - Historical context that resource management can be sustainable is ancient; the modern application of human development achieving sustainability is recent.

  • Triple Bottom Line: Balances economic, social, and environmental well-being across development efforts.

Sustainability: Three Dimensions

  • Economic Imperative: Addresses basic needs and a livable standard for all.

  • Ecological Imperative: Respects environmental limits and stays within the planet's biophysical carrying capacity.

  • Social Imperative: Promotes social equity and sustainable value systems.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • An enumerated list of SDGs focused on various global challenges:
      1. No Poverty: Eradicate all forms of poverty everywhere.
      2. Zero Hunger: Achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
      3. Good Health and Well-Being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all age groups.
      4. Quality Education: Provide inclusive and equitable quality education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
      5. Gender Equality: Empower women and girls, achieving gender parity.
      6. Clean Water and Sanitation: Manage water and sanitation sustainably for all.
      7. Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to sustainable modern energy for everyone.
      8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Sustain inclusive economic growth, full employment, decent work.
      9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation.
      10. Reduced Inequalities: Minimize inequality within and among countries.
      11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make urban environments inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
      12. Responsible Production and Consumption: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
      13. Climate Action: Take urgent measures to combat climate change.
      14. Life Below Water: Sustainably manage marine resources.
      15. Life on Land: Restore and sustainably manage terrestrial ecosystems while combatting land degradation and biodiversity loss.
      16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote inclusive societies and provide access to justice.
      17. Partnerships for the Goals: Enhance global partnerships for sustainable development implementation.

World Average Score for Social Progress Index (SPI) 2023

  • Three Dimensions of SPI:
      1. Basic Human Needs: Nutrition, medical care, water, sanitation, shelter, safety.
      2. Foundations of Well-being: Basic knowledge access, health, environmental quality.
      3. Opportunity: Personal rights, freedom, inclusivity, access to advanced education.

Optimism in Conservation Biology

  • Seven Reasons to be Hopeful:
      1. Most biodiversity remains accessible.
      2. Population growth is decelerating, which may slow biodiversity loss.
      3. Societal momentum: increasing recognition of nature loss and commitment to stewardship.
      4. New frameworks are accounting for biodiversity’s instrumental value.
      5. Enhanced evidence and technology use in conservation.
      6. Human innovation in problem-solving for biodiversity issues.
      7. Increased equity and diversity within conservation fields relative to global biodiversity loss impacts.