JWL 330: Principles of Biodiversity Conservation 1.1.1. Purpose of the Course This Course Unit Is Designed to Provide the Stude
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JWL 330: Principles of Biodiversity Conservation 1.1.1. Purpose of the Course This course unit is designed to provide the student with knowledge of basic concepts of biodiversity conservation 1.1.2. Expected Learning Outcomes At the end of the course the learner should be able to: 1. Identify the variety of biological resources in relation to their various ecological settings including below and above ground. 2. Describe ecological functions and processes determining biodiversity. 3. Identify biodiversity challenges and design simple conservation solutions. 1.1.3. Course Content Concepts and definitions of biodiversity. Descriptions of biological diversity; genes, species, ecosystems. Distribution of biodiversity. Biodiversity and balance of Nature. Biological resources; water, soil, wildlife, forests, fisheries, and rangelands. Conservation versus preservation versus protection. Biodiversity assessment. Benefits of Biodiversity. Threats and impacts of biodiversity. Conservation and management of biodiversity. Biotechnology in biodiversity. The institutional framework on biodiversity conservation and management (Policy, legal & administration arrangements). Conventions on biodiversity conservation and management. 1.1.4. Mode of Delivery Lectures, practicals, open learning, distance learning, e-learning, class presentations, independent studies, and field training sites. 1.1.5. Instructional Materials and/or Equipment Study manuals, course books, reference books, journals, reports and case studies, computers, LCD projectors, white and chalk boards, board markers, video clips and internet resources. 1.1.6. Course Assessment Continuous assessment tests, assignments, reports, practical and written examinations. 2.26.7 Core Reading and Recommended Reference Materials John M. Fryxell, Anthony R.E. Sinclair, & Graeme Caughley. 2014. Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Management. Wiley Blackwell. 508pp Krishnamurthy, K. V. 2003. Textbook of Biodiversity. Science Publishers Page 1 of 58 Kumar, U., & Asija, M. J. 2007. Biodiversity: Principles and Conservation. Agrobios (India) Norris K, Pain DJ. 2002. Conserving bird biodiversity: General principles and their applications, 1st Edition. Cambridge University Press. Pp 352. Paul R. Krausman & James W. Cain. 2013. Wildlife Management and Conservation. Contemporary principles and practices. JHU Press 360 pp. Singh M. P. 2009. Biodiversity APH Publishing Corporation. New Delhi. Western, D. et al. 2015. Kenya’s Natural Capital: A biodiversity Atlas. Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Regional Development, Authorities, Kenya. 124 pages. 1.1.7. Journals and E-Resources 1. Conservation Biology 2. Biodiversity Conservation 3. Biodiversity and Conservation 4. Biological Conservation Journal 5. International Journal of Biodiversity 6. Biodiversity Informatics. 7. Endangered Species Research. Page 2 of 58 COURSE OVERVIEW Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. It refers to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, species variation (number of species) within an area, biome or planet. Relative to the range of habitats, biotic communities and ecological processes in the biosphere, biodiversity is vital in a number of ways including promoting the aesthetic value of the natural environment, contribution to our material well-being through utilitarian values by providing food, fodder, fuel, timber and medicine and . Biodiversity is the life support system. Organisms depend on it for the air to breathe, the food to eat, and the water to drink. Wetlands filter pollutants from water, trees and plants reduce global warming by absorbing carbon, and bacteria and fungi break down organic material and fertilize the soil. It has been empirically shown that native species richness is linked to the health of ecosystems, as is the quality of life for humans. The ecosystem services of biodiversity is maintained through formation and protection of soil, conservation and purification of water, maintaining hydrological cycles, regulation of biochemical cycles, absorption and breakdown of pollutants and waste materials through decomposition, determination and regulation of the natural world climate. Despite the benefits from biodiversity, today’s threats to species and ecosystems are increasing day by day with alarming rate and virtually all of them are caused by human mismanagement of biological resources often stimulated by imprudent economic policies, pollution and faulty institutions in-addition to climate change. To ensure intra and intergenerational equity, it is important to conserve biodiversity. Some of the existing measures of biodiversity conservation include; reforestation, zoological gardens, botanical gardens, national parks, biosphere reserves, germplasm banks and adoption of breeding techniques, tissue culture techniques, social forestry to minimize stress on the exploitation of forest resources. Page 3 of 58 DEFINITIONS OF BIODIVERSITY As defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Biodiversity also known as biological diversity is “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems” [Convention on Biological Diversity Article 2]. The totality of the inherited variation of all forms of life across all levels of variation, from ecosystem to species to gene. Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Can Be Classified Under Three Levels (Types) 1. Species diversity 2. Genetic diversity 3. Ecosystem or ecological diversity. Species diversity Species diversity refers to biodiversity at the most basic level and is the ‘variety and abundance of different types of individuals of a species in a given area. Species is a basic unit of classification and is defined as a group of similar organisms that interbreed with one another and produce viable offspring. These may include bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants (algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms) and animals (unicellular protozoans, arthropods, mollusks, fish, herps and mammals). The tropical areas support more diverse plant and animal communities than other areas. The regions that are rich in species diversity are called hotspots of biodiversity. A biodiversity hotspot is a region containing an exceptional concentration of endemic species. These hot spots support nearly 60% of the world’s plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. Biodiversity hotspots in East Africa Page 4 of 58 Genetic diversity Genetic diversity refers to the variation within and between populations range in the heritable genetic resources of the organisms. Every individual member of a plant or animal species differs from other individuals in its genetic constitution. Genetic variation enables both natural evolutionary change and artificial selective breeding to occur. The term ‘gene pool’ has been used to indicate the genetic diversity in the different species. The genetic variability is essential for healthy breeding population. The reduction in genetic variability among breeding individuals leads to inbreeding which in turns can lead to extinction of species. Ecosystem or ecological diversity An ecosystem is a collection of living components, flora, fauna and microorganisms and non- living components, like climate, matter and energy that are connected by energy flow. Ecosystem diversity can be described for a specific geographical region, or a political entity such as a country, county or region. Ecosystem diversity is often evaluated through measures of the diversity of the component species. This may involve assessment of the relative abundance of different species as well as consideration of the types of species. Page 5 of 58 A population is all of the individuals of the same species within an ecological community. African Elephant Hippopotamus Common Zebra Oryx Rothschild's Giraffe Nile crocodile Eastern Bullfrog Blue Napped mouse birds Great White Pelicans Cyperus Papyrus Page 6 of 58 Community: The assemblage of interacting populations (dynamics of species populations) that inhabit the same area (how these populations interact with the environment). Ecosystem: Comprised of one or more communities and the abiotic environment within an area. Different groups of populations may not be located in the same area but interact at certain times throughout the year. If this group of populations are the same species and can still interbreed, they are a meta-population. Individuals within a metapopulation may migrate from one population to the other, which can help stabilize the size of the overall population. Page 7 of 58 KENYA’S BIOTIC DIVERSITY About 50-100 million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms exists in the world. Out of these, about 1.4 million species have been described. Kenya is endowed with an enormous and immense animal biotic capital. Kenya is a mega bio- diverse country and has one of the richest fauna diversity in the world, with around 30,000 species of animal species and 7,000 species of plants have so far been recorded, along with at least 2000 fungi and bacteria presently listed. Kenya’s known fauna biodiversity assets include 25,000 invertebrates (21,575 of which are insects), 1,100 birds, 315 mammals (2/3 of these are small mammals), 191 reptiles, 206 freshwater fish, 692 marine