Biodiversity Loss and Sity Is at Risk, As Wild Population Sizes Shrink Ecosystem Service Changes Are: Drastically and with Them the Gene Pool
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What Is the Most Effective Way to Reduce Population Growth And
Ariana Shapiro TST BOCES New Visions - Ithaca High School Ithaca, NY Kenya, Factor 17 Slowing Population Growth and Urbanization Through Education, Sustainable Agriculture, and Public Policy Initiatives in Kenya Kenya is a richly varied and unique country. From mountains and plains to lowlands and beaches, the diversity within the 224,961 square miles is remarkable. Nestled on the eastern coast of Africa, Kenya is bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Indian Ocean. Abundant wildlife and incredible biodiversity make Kenya a favorable tourist attraction, and tourism is the country’s best hard currency earner (BBC). However, tourism only provides jobs for a small segment of the population. 75 percent of Kenyans make their living through agriculture (mostly without using irrigation), on the 8.01 percent of land that is classified as arable (CIA World Factbook). As a result, agricultural activity is very concentrated in the fertile coastal regions and some areas of the highlands. Subsistence farmers grow beans, cassava, potatoes, maize, sorghum, and fruit, and some grow export crops such as tea, coffee, horticulture and pyrethrum (HDR). Overgrazing on the arid plateaus and loss of soil and tree cover in croplands has primed Kenya for recurring droughts followed by floods in the rainy seasons. The increasing environmental degradation has had a profound effect on the people of Kenya by forcing farmers onto smaller plots of land too close to other subsistence farms. Furthermore, inequitable patterns of land ownership and a burgeoning population have influenced many poor farmers to move into urban areas. The rapidity of urbanization has resulted in poorly planned cities that are home to large and unsafe slums. -
Land-Use, Land-Cover Changes and Biodiversity Loss - Helena Freitas
LAND USE, LAND COVER AND SOIL SCIENCES – Vol. I - Land-Use, Land-Cover Changes and Biodiversity Loss - Helena Freitas LAND-USE, LAND-COVER CHANGES AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS Helena Freitas University of Coimbra, Portugal Keywords: land use; habitat fragmentation; biodiversity loss Contents 1. Introduction 2. Primary Causes of Biodiversity Loss 2.1. Habitat Degradation and Destruction 2.2. Habitat Fragmentation 2.3. Global Climate Change 3. Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation 3.1. General 3.2. The European Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 4. Conclusions Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary During Earth's history, species extinction has probably been caused by modifications of the physical environment after impacts such as meteorites or volcanic activity. On the contrary, the actual extinction of species is mainly a result of human activities, namely any form of land use that causes the conversion of vast areas to settlement, agriculture, and forestry, resulting in habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation, which are among the most important causes of species decline and extinction. The loss of biodiversity is unique among the major anthropogenic changes because it is irreversible. The importance of preserving biodiversity has increased in recent times. The global recognition of the alarming loss of biodiversity and the acceptance of its value resultedUNESCO in the Convention on Biologi – calEOLSS Diversity. In addition, in Europe, the challenge is also the implementation of the European strategy for biodiversity conservation and agricultural policies, though it is increasingly recognized that the strategy is limitedSAMPLE by a lack of basic ecological CHAPTERS information and indicators available to decision makers and end users. We have reached a point where we can save biodiversity only by saving the biosphere. -
Energy Development's Impacts on the Wildlife, Landscapes, And
Losing Ground: Energy Development’s Impacts on the Wildlife, Landscapes, and Hunting Traditions of the American West A Report by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council Barbara Wheeler he iconic game species of the American wildlife are an ecological marker for the health of non- West are in perilous decline, as migratory game species, which are also becoming increasingly T animals lose ground to energy development vulnerable to the effects of energy development. and habitat destruction in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming. Sage-grouse, mule deer, and Bountiful wildlife populations are a major part of the pronghorn are facing decreasing herd sizes and cultures and economies of Montana and Wyoming. downward long-term population trends, which Deteriorations in habitat quality associated with threaten the continued viability of these species in energy development can negatively affect wildlife the coming decades. Of the species considered, only populations and, in turn, impact hunters, wildlife- elk populations are forecast to rebound and stabilize watchers, and the tourism industry as a whole, which brings millions of people and billions of dollars to that additional habitat loss or degradation from the region every year. These impacts justify the need from historic lows, though there is significant concern energy development could stall population growth and for land management reforms and for wide-scale further displace the species. Simultaneously, big game investments in game and non-game wildlife protection Losing Ground Jack Dempsey at state and federal levels to offset the increasing impact on wildlife from energy development. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife A study commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense A study commissioned by the Council analyzes trends in population and hunting National Wildlife Federation and opportunities for mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and the Natural Resources Defense greater sage-grouse. -
Understanding the Causes of Bush Encroachment in Africa: the Key to Effective Management of Savanna Grasslands
Tropical Grasslands – Forrajes Tropicales (2013) Volume 1, 215−219 Understanding the causes of bush encroachment in Africa: The key to effective management of savanna grasslands OLAOTSWE E. KGOSIKOMA1 AND KABO MOGOTSI2 1Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw 2Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Francistown, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw Keywords: Rangeland degradation, fire, indigenous ecological knowledge, livestock grazing, rainfall variability. Abstract The increase in biomass and abundance of woody plant species, often thorny or unpalatable, coupled with the suppres- sion of herbaceous plant cover, is a widely recognized form of rangeland degradation. Bush encroachment therefore has the potential to compromise rural livelihoods in Africa, as many depend on the natural resource base. The causes of bush encroachment are not without debate, but fire, herbivory, nutrient availability and rainfall patterns have been shown to be the key determinants of savanna vegetation structure and composition. In this paper, these determinants are discussed, with particular reference to arid and semi-arid environments of Africa. To improve our current under- standing of causes of bush encroachment, an integrated approach, involving ecological and indigenous knowledge systems, is proposed. Only through our knowledge of causes of bush encroachment, both direct and indirect, can better livelihood adjustments be made, or control measures and restoration of savanna ecosystem functioning be realized. Resumen Una forma ampliamente reconocida de degradación de pasturas es el incremento de la abundancia de especies de plan- tas leñosas, a menudo espinosas y no palatables, y de su biomasa, conjuntamente con la pérdida de plantas herbáceas. En África, la invasión por arbustos puede comprometer el sistema de vida rural ya que muchas personas dependen de los recursos naturales básicos. -
Functional Benefits of Predator Species Diversity Depend on Prey Identity
Ecological Entomology (2005) 30, 497–501 Functional benefits of predator species diversity depend on prey identity A. WILBY1 , S. C. VILLAREAL2 ,L.P.LAN3 ,K.L.HEONG2 and 1 M. B. THOMAS 1Department of Agricultural Sciences and NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, U.K., 2International Rice Research Institute, Metro Manila, Philippines and 3Institute of Agricultural Sciences of South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Abstract. 1. Determining the functional significance of species diversity in nat- ural enemy assemblages is a key step towards prediction of the likely impact of biodiversity loss on natural pest control processes. While the biological control literature contains examples in which increased natural enemy diversity hinders pest control, other studies have highlighted mechanisms where pest suppression is promoted by increased enemy diversity. 2. This study aimed to test whether increased predator species diversity results in higher rates of predation on two key, but contrasting, insect pest species commonly found in the rice ecosystems of south-east Asia. 3. Glasshouse experiments were undertaken in which four life stages of a planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and a moth (Marasmia patnalis) were caged with single or three-species combinations of generalist predators. 4. Generally, predation rates of the three-species assemblages exceeded expec- tation when attacking M. patnalis, but not when attacking N. lugens. In addition, a positive effect of increased predator species richness on overall predation rate was found with M. patnalis but not with N. lugens. 5. The results are consistent with theoretical predictions that morphological and behavioural differentiation among prey life stages promotes functional com- plementarity among predator species. -
Connecting Genetic Diversity and Threat Mapping to Set Conservation Priorities for Juglans Regia L
fevo-08-00171 June 19, 2020 Time: 17:54 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 23 June 2020 doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00171 Diversity Under Threat: Connecting Genetic Diversity and Threat Mapping to Set Conservation Priorities for Juglans regia L. Populations in Central Asia Hannes Gaisberger1,2*, Sylvain Legay3, Christelle Andre3,4, Judy Loo1, Rashid Azimov5, Sagynbek Aaliev6, Farhod Bobokalonov7, Nurullo Mukhsimov8, Chris Kettle1,9 and Barbara Vinceti1 1 Bioversity International, Rome, Italy, 2 Department of Geoinformatics, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria, 3 Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Belvaux, Luxembourg, 4 New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand, 5 Bioversity International, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 6 Kyrgyz National Agrarian University named after K. I. Skryabin, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 7 Institute of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing of Tajik Academy Edited by: of Agricultural Sciences, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 8 Republican Scientific and Production Center of Ornamental Gardening David Jack Coates, and Forestry, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 9 Department of Environmental System Science, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), Australia Central Asia is an important center of diversity for common walnut (Juglans regia L.). Reviewed by: We characterized the genetic diversity of 21 wild and cultivated populations across Bilal Habib, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. A complete threat assessment was performed Wildlife Institute of India, -
Land Degradation and the Australian Agricultural Industry
LAND DEGRADATION AND THE AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY Paul Gretton Umme Salma STAFF INFORMATION PAPER 1996 INDUSTRY COMMISSION © Commonwealth of Australia 1996 ISBN This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, the work may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source. Reproduction for commercial usage or sale requires prior written permission from the Australian Government Publishing Service. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Commonwealth Information Services, AGPS, GPO Box 84, Canberra ACT 2601. Enquiries Paul Gretton Industry Commission PO Box 80 BELCONNEN ACT 2616 Phone: (06) 240 3252 Email: [email protected] The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of the Industry Commission. Forming the Productivity Commission The Federal Government, as part of its broader microeconomic reform agenda, is merging the Bureau of Industry Economics, the Economic Planning Advisory Commission and the Industry Commission to form the Productivity Commission. The three agencies are now co- located in the Treasury portfolio and amalgamation has begun on an administrative basis. While appropriate arrangements are being finalised, the work program of each of the agencies will continue. The relevant legislation will be introduced soon. This report has been produced by the Industry Commission. CONTENTS Abbreviations v Preface vii Overview -
Species Richness, Species–Area Curves and Simpson's Paradox
Evolutionary Ecology Research, 2000, 2: 791–802 Species richness, species–area curves and Simpson’s paradox Samuel M. Scheiner,1* Stephen B. Cox,2 Michael Willig,2 Gary G. Mittelbach,3 Craig Osenberg4 and Michael Kaspari5 1Department of Life Sciences (2352), Arizona State University West, P.O. Box 37100, Phoenix, AZ 85069, 2Program in Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biological Sciences and The Museum, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, 3W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, 4Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 and 5Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA ABSTRACT A key issue in ecology is how patterns of species diversity differ as a function of scale. The scaling function is the species–area curve. The form of the species–area curve results from patterns of environmental heterogeneity and species dispersal, and may be system-specific. A central concern is how, for a given set of species, the species–area curve varies with respect to a third variable, such as latitude or productivity. Critical is whether the relationship is scale-invariant (i.e. the species–area curves for different levels of the third variable are parallel), rank-invariant (i.e. the curves are non-parallel, but non-crossing within the scales of interest) or neither, in which case the qualitative relationship is scale-dependent. This recognition is critical for the development and testing of theories explaining patterns of species richness because different theories have mechanistic bases at different scales of action. -
Loss of Microsatellite Diversity and Low Effective Population Size in an Overexploited Population of New Zealand Snapper (Pagrus Auratus)
Loss of microsatellite diversity and low effective population size in an overexploited population of New Zealand snapper (Pagrus auratus) Lorenz Hauser*†, Greg J. Adcock*‡, Peter J. Smith§, Julio H. Bernal Ramı´rez*¶, and Gary R. Carvalho* *Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom; and §National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 14901, Wellington, New Zealand Edited by John C. Avise, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and approved June 27, 2002 (received for review April 23, 2002) Although the effects of overfishing on species diversity and abun- ered being in danger of losing genetic diversity (8), and so there dance are well documented, threats to the genetic diversity of appears to be little cause for concern from a genetic perspective. marine fish populations have so far been largely neglected. Indeed, On the other hand, the number of fish in a population (census there seems to be little cause for concern, as even ‘‘collapsed’’ population size, N) is often much larger than the genetically stocks usually consist of several million individuals, whereas pop- effective population size (Ne), which determines the genetic ulation genetics theory suggests that only very small populations properties of a population (12). The long-term evolutionary Ne suffer significant loss of genetic diversity. On the other hand, in is often orders of magnitude smaller than current population many marine species the genetically effective population size (Ne), sizes, probably because of historic population bottlenecks, ‘‘se- which determines the genetic properties of a population, may be lective sweeps,’’ or colonization histories (13). -
Ecological Principles and Function of Natural Ecosystems by Professor Michel RICARD
Intensive Programme on Education for sustainable development in Protected Areas Amfissa, Greece, July 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ecological principles and function of natural ecosystems By Professor Michel RICARD Summary 1. Hierarchy of living world 2. What is Ecology 3. The Biosphere - Lithosphere - Hydrosphere - Atmosphere 4. What is an ecosystem - Ecozone - Biome - Ecosystem - Ecological community - Habitat/biotope - Ecotone - Niche 5. Biological classification 6. Ecosystem processes - Radiation: heat, temperature and light - Primary production - Secondary production - Food web and trophic levels - Trophic cascade and ecology flow 7. Population ecology and population dynamics 8. Disturbance and resilience - Human impacts on resilience 9. Nutrient cycle, decomposition and mineralization - Nutrient cycle - Decomposition 10. Ecological amplitude 11. Ecology, environmental influences, biological interactions 12. Biodiversity 13. Environmental degradation - Water resources degradation - Climate change - Nutrient pollution - Eutrophication - Other examples of environmental degradation M. Ricard: Summer courses, Amfissa July 2014 1 1. Hierarchy of living world The larger objective of ecology is to understand the nature of environmental influences on individual organisms, populations, communities and ultimately at the level of the biosphere. If ecologists can achieve an understanding of these relationships, they will be well placed to contribute to the development of systems by which humans -
An Introduction to Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India Curriculum on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Module 1 An Introduction to Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services For Field-Level MPA Managers Imprint Training Resource Material: Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Protected Area Management for Field-Level MPA Managers Module 1: An Introduction to Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Module 2: Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services in the Overall Environment and Development Context Module 3: Mainstreaming Coastal and Marine Biodiversity into Overall Development and Environmental Planning Module 4: Coastal and Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Fisheries Management Module 5: Governance, Law and Policies for Managing Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Protected Areas Module 6: Assessment and Monitoring of Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Relevant Issues Module 7: Effective Management Planning of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas Module 8: Communicating Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Management Issues ISBN 978-81-933282-1-7 October 2015 Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Indo-German Biodiversity Programme P.O. Box 18, Chandrabani A-2/18, Safdarjung Enclave Dehradun 248001 New Delhi 110029, India Uttarakhand, India T +91-11-4949 5353 T +91-135-2640 910 E [email protected] E [email protected] W http://www.indo-germanbiodiversity.com W www.wii.gov.in GIZ is a German government-owned not-for-profit enterprise supporting sustainable development. This training resource material has been developed under the Human Capacity Development component of the project ‘Conservation and Sustainable Management of Existing and Potential Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (CMPA)’, under the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. -
Dynamics of Biodiversity Change After Deforestation
Rev. Cient. Cien. Nat. Ambien. 11(1):28-36 Gilbert • Dinámica de cambios de diversidad después Junio 2017 ISSN: 1390-8413 de deforestación Dynamics of biodiversity change after deforestation Dinámica de cambios de diversidad después de deforestación Guillermo Javier Gilbert-Jaramillo Postgraduate student. Imperial College London. London, SW7 2AZ, UK. Tel: +44(0)207589511 Recibido 5 de mayo 2017; recibido en forma revisada 26 de mayo 2017, aceptado 5 de junio 2017 Disponible en línea 26 de junio 2017 Abstract The many changes that forests have suffered over the last century have led to biodiversity loss around the planet. In order to understand these processes and try to predict future biological diversity loss, spatial comparisons have commonly been used. This research uses spatial and temporal data aiming to understand better the dynamics of these changes caused by deforestation. A meta-Analysis was conducted compiling information from 13 studies using before-after-control- impact design (BACI) to examine abundance response to deforestation. The results show clearly that biodiversity tends to decline in the five years after forest loss, though losses are not significant within the first two years. It was also found that the effects of deforestation on species abundance varied significantly among taxonomic groups, physical level species occupy in the ecosystem, type of disturbance, type of perturbation, and constancy in the surveys. The outcome of this research agrees with results of studies with spatial comparisons, though it is not yet possible to conclude which is best to predict biodiversity changes. However, these findings deepen our understanding of the complexity of biodiversity change and deforestation and emphasize importance of generating more studies that include temporal data.