Conservation Principles and Realities Flashcards
(313 cards)
Why habitat restoration?
-They improve ecosystem service provision
-Species conservation
-Essential for meeting area-based protection targets
Importance of habitat restoration for ecosystem service provision
-60% of 24 ecosystem services are being degraded (MEA 2005)
-Nonlinear (accelerating or abrupt) changes to ecosystems will increasingly adversely impact human wellbeing (MEA 2005)
-14 out of 18 groups of ‘nature’s contribution to people’ are declining, those that have increased are doing so unsustainably (IPBES 2019)
Importance of habitat restoration for species conservation
-Habitat loss is marked, e.g., 50% of world’s original forests have been lost
-Habitat loss is main threat to 85% species on IUCN red list
-Degradation is another major factor, e.g., from invasive species, habitat fragmentation, fires, resource extraction etc
-Only 10% of area of terrestrial PAs are well connected
Importance of habitat restoration for meeting area-based protection targets
-30x30
-Global target to protect 30% of the planet for nature by 2030, Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at COP15 (Dec 2022)
-Interim step to 50% by 2050?
IUCN ecosystem red list categories
-Collapsed (defining features lost, key biota no longer sustained)
-CE
-EN
-VU
-NT
-LC
-DD
-NE
IUCN ecosystem red list assessment criteria
-Reduction in geographic distribution
-Restricted distribution
-Degradation
-Disruption of biotic processes, probability of collapse (quantitative analysis)
How many ecosystems have been assessed by IUCN so far?
4,279
IUCN ecosystem red list assessment for terrestrial ecosystems
-Tiny proportion collapsed (>1%)
->5% DD
-Close to half LC (roughly 45%)
-Small amount NT
-The rest (just under 50%) evenly VU, EN and CE
IUCN ecosystem red list assessment for marine ecosystems
-No collapsed !
-Unfortunately, close to half DD (roughly 45%)
-Small amount CE (>5%)
-Remainder is LC, NT, VU and EN
IUCN ecosystem red list assessment for freshwater ecosystems
-Largest amount of collapsed of the three (about 10%)
-Also about 10% VU, EN and CE
-A lot of DD (around 40%)
-Remainder is LC
Example of collapsed ecosystems
Aral Sea
What was the Aral Sea like from 1911-1960s?
-Hydrologically stable
-4th largest continental water body
-20 freshwater fish species
-Unique invertebrate fauna (>150 species, many endemic)
-Shoreline reed-beds
What was the Aral Sea like in 2005?
-10% former area and reed-beds remaining
-Replaced with desert plains and saline lakes as water is evaporated
-28 aquatic species recorded
-Endemic species extinct
What caused the collapse of the Aral Sea?
-Diversion of rivers for agricultural irrigation
-Pesticide runoff from cotton fields
Impacts of the Aral Sea collapse on humans
-As lake dried, pesticides then accumulated in dust and as wind blows, it was deposited into local villages and towns
-These toxic dust storms lead to cancer, infant mortality (doubled) etc.
-Fishing industry collapse, abandoned rusty ships left in desert
-Local climate change, less water has led to reduced rainfall and higher temperatures
-This causes positive feedback loop, as there is less rainfall, more is needed for irrigation so more is extracted
Attempts to restore Aral Sea
-New northern basin in Kazakhstan
-Aralkum Desert in southern basin, Uzbekistan (is this restoration?)
What is the new northern basin of the Aral Sea? Is it successful?
-8 mile dam
-River improvements made to increase flow and reduce irrigation
-Salinity levels reduced, wider diversity of fish, people and fishing returned
-Diversity and salinity levels not back to normal
-Endemic species extinct
Why is the restoration of the southern basin of the Aral Sea questionable?
-No longer called a sea, main river still diverted for cotton
-0.5 million ha Saxaul plantation (important native desert grass), plan on planting further 2.5mill ha
-Want to transform it into a new habitat type with input from local conservation bodies
-Primary driver is to prevent toxic dust storms by expanding the saxaul so they will stabilise soil and remove lot of adverse health effects
-Even plans over time to reintroduce native mammalian herbivores such as large antelopes, followed by pops of Asiatic cheetah
-Is this restoration?
-Not at the original site at the time but still may have some conservation value
Re-introduction of the Santa Fe tortoise
-Each Galapagos island had endemic species
-Santa Fe tortoise went extinct in 1800s
-Feral goats ravaged the island which still wasn’t recovering despite eradication
-Espanola tortoise introduced 2015-2020
-105 island colonised, 85% survival
-Opuntia echios (keystone species that provides fruit) and an endemic land iguana Conolophus pallidus have increased
What is selective logging essentially?
-Only cutting marketable trees
-Smaller and less desirable species are left
-Utilises precise felling
What is the extent of logging?
-Between 2000-2005, 20% of tropical forests were logged
-Over 400 million hectares of tropical forest in permanent timber estate
-Asides from South America, most tropical forests have been logged
Effects of logging on biodiversity?
-Species composition differs
-IUCN red-listed bird species decline
-Only 75% of unlogged species persist
-Re-logging magnifies harm
-However, substantial amount of biodiversity still exists, including red-listed species (e.g., orangutans)
Reduced impact logging (RIL) incentives and regulations
-Includes host of strategies designed to reduce damage to forest structure and release of carbon and increase viability of timber harvest over time
-Prerequisite for timber certification under FSC
-Access to lucrative Western market (price premium 5-77% above uncertified timber)
-Pre-harvest inventories
-Planned roads
-Limits on log dumps
-Vine cutting
-During harvest, crews are trained in directional felling and extraction and big, tracked vehicles are used (help maintains soil composition)
What are pre-harvest inventories for RIL?
-Comprehensive Harvest Plan
-Identify, measure and geo-locate harvestable species and protected species
-Protect a number of mature ‘seed’ trees