Evolutionary diversification of island
species is the area I am most interested in, the actual workings of evolution.
A (any, no size barrier) organism has no
competition
↓
Species may develop wider niches
↓
Some may adapt their behaviour to occupy
these new niches
↓
Some degree of effective isolation of
populations
↓
Adaptative Radiation (evolution) to exploit
new opportunities
↓
* New Species *
Island Biogeography also includes how a
species or organism can arrive on an Island, via Air, Sea, On a ‘host’, In a ‘host’,
via Humans, Evolution or deliberate introduction.
Types of migration are also studied, such
as:
- Dynamic – No control over destination
- Homeostatic – Pushed out of their original area
- Random Dispersive – A conscious decision was made (two-way
cyclic migration)
The relevance of Island Biogeography is
strong today. We use today the scientific endeavors first detailed on Islands back in 1840 to guide
our understanding of how environments work, and how species within them change
with the environment, adapting to differing environmental conditions.
What is apparent is that anthropogenic
change of the environment is happening far faster than the environment itself
can actually keep up.
Some of the problems we have created for the
future are:
Climate stabilizing
Chemical concentrations in the soil and
water from industry
Solid pollution and dumping
Environmental destruction
– deforestation and green-field development.
Depleting fish stocks globally
And so Biogeography overall is concerned
with the entire operations of, the interactions within, and resultant effects
on the environment.
It is therefore essential to understand
that Biogeography is an integral part of the environment and any study around
and within.
Another area of study within Biogeography
& Conservation is that of Biodiversity. ‘the total
richness of biological variation… from genetic variation through to species
changes… including the patterns and dynamics of these on the landscape’
The applications of Biodiversity
information can be used in Medicine, Biotechnology, Environmental monitoring
and Food.
The Biodiversity of your ecosystem is one
of the most important prerequisites for Conservation.
Many areas of the world have low
biodiversity, but of great importance for:
- Ecosystems dynamics
- Global systems – such as carbon stores
- Cultural importance
- Aesthetics
Example: Deserts or Arctic environments
Some areas have high biodiversity but not
of ‘high’ value such as :
- Oceans – limited interaction – ‘Out of sight out of mind’
- Marshlands – not aesthetic
- Hedgerows – Refuges for animals
- Urban and Brown field sites – Very high potential biodiversity
It has been estimated that by 2050, 25% of
Earth’s biodiversity (which equates to 375,000 species) could be extinct.
Earth’s Biodiversity Hotspots
On the following page is a map showing the
distribution of Vascular plants on Earth. Bear in mind that every species
distribution will be different. This is included to compare against the
Biodiversity of the World above. What we can see is that around Indonesia, In
South America, Regions of Southern Europe, Coastal West Africa and the Mexican
peninsula, the ‘hotspots’ correlate onto Vascular plants, a further indication
of the value of these areas.
Conservation is ‘Preservation’ and
‘Management’.
‘Prevention of waste and despoilment while
preserving, improving and renewing the quality + usefulness of our resources’ –
John F. Kennedy.
It aims to maintain an environment through
preservation at the stage of biodiversity that it is currently at, and manage
it for the future to ensure Species Richness and Biodiversity. Another aim of
conservation is to ensure that natural resources are used to the greatest good,
for the greatest number of people over the greatest amount of time, this may be
known as ‘Wise-Use’ or ‘Sustainable Development’.
There has been a
recognition by the West for the need to preserve what little of global
biodiversity following the operations of industry, modern culture, the city
culture and operations of commercialism.
Why must we conserve our environments?
- To preserve the biodiversity of our environments
- Organic resource conservation
- Time for the present and future
- Heritage / Preservation
- Sustainable management of the environment – Environmental Regulation
– Intrinsic part in regulating and stabilizing the environmental process
conditions
- Intrinsic value of life – Environmental rights
- Aesthetic value and enhancement of Quality of Life
- Economic resource – plants, animals as food
- Scientific conservation – Value to science / Medicinal
potential
There are also, proven statistics showing
how costly human exploitation is on species diversity, and how the richness of
Earth is slowly being pushed under concrete:
27,000 species disappear each year
74 per day
3 per hour
Digest that, every hour of every day Earth
loses 3 species. All with their own ‘right’ to exist on Earth
in equilibrium with the environment. Their value to us as humans
either culturally, scientific or economic and to the environment including
species above and below on the food chain is lost forever
Is this not enough justification to start
conserving what we have left to ensure the richness of life for the future?
We are left however with a difficult
dilemma, how do we chose to conserve one area and not another?
That is decided by using Value Judgments.
These are quantitative decisions made after considering some of the following
criterion:
Unitarian – Species used in food,
agriculture and medicine
- Species used in the maintenance of environmental
health and quality
Biological – Endemic species (is this only
found in one place?)
-
Keystone species (the
‘leaders’, ‘controllers’)
-
Species whose distribution has
become fragmented
-
Species in decline
Ethical and Cultural – ‘Flagship Species’
-
Species which we can relate to
(Apes, Panda’s)
-
Culturally or spiritually
important species
This does mean therefore that some species
are seen as being more important and of greater value than others. This is not
an ideal situation. Ideally, no species would need the help they all need now.
However, some are of more use to humanity
than others and should therefore be conserved for the preservation not of the
environment but the stability and operations of humanity.
Now for a look at examples of Conservation schemes
in the local, regional and global scale.
A Local Conservation Scheme might include a
River Clean-up, Rubbish Clearing, A particular species population is threatened
e.g. Badgers, Red Squirrels, Foxes
Two authorities which conserve on the Local
scale are The Countryside Agency and the Department of Transport in Local
Regions (see above)
They both are publicly funded, (e.g. state
owned) and oversee the development of Britain’s
countryside and ecological communities.
Local conservation schemes will most often
be initiated by local councils. Voluntary unaided schemes can be run by anyone
in an effort to conserve.
On a regional scale, we encounter more
organization that focus on Conservation. Agencies such as English Nature missions statement “The Government agency that champions the
conservation of wildlife and natural features throughout England”
The New Opportunities Fund granted English
Nature a £4.6 grant to significantly raise the resources going into its Local
Nature Reserves grant schemes to the benefit of both local communities and
local wildlife.
Current projects include Wetland
conservation in Dibden Bay (42 hectares of mudflat within the Solent and Southampton Water Special
Protection Area for birds and another 34 hectares of mudflat, below mean low
water, which is outside the SPA but integral to bird use of the site)
Global
Traffic
Network – “The wildlife trade monitoring program of
the WWF and IUCN – The World Conservation Union. TRAFFIC works in co-operation
with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
“TRAFFIC aims to ensure accurate
information is available on the true scale of trade and consumption affecting
key commodities such as timber, fisheries, medicinal plants, wild meat, live
animals, ornamental plants and non-wood forest products, and the global impact
of trade on those resources”
It was established in 1975
www.traffic.org
WWF – The World Wide Fund for Nature. Probably the most recognizable global
conservation group. Their focus is on the affect on species of Climate
Change, Endangered Seas, Retreating Forests, Polluted Lakes and Rivers.
There is an abundance of Global
Conservation groups and organizations. Each have their
own particular ‘niche’ of conservation interest.
It is celebrating 40 years of conservation
this year, since it was started.
1961-2001
www.panda.org
GCTE – Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems is a Core Project of the
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, an international scientific
research programme established in 1986 by the International Council of
Scientific Unions.
The scientific objectives of GCTE are:
- To predict the effects of changes in climate, atmospheric
composition, and land use on terrestrial ecosystems, including:
i) agriculture, forestry, soils
ii) biodiversity.
- To determine how these effects lead to feedbacks to the
atmosphere and the physical climate system
www.gcte.org
EspEarth.com – ‘A Better Earth For Our Future
Generations’
ESP stands
for Extra-Sensory Perception, it
is utilizing our more intangible senses besides the physical senses.
Emphasizing our intangible senses to utilize knowledge, intelligence and spirit
to move beyond the rat race, to a higher plane of true freedom
“In our increasingly technological world with the emphasis on money for
survival, we easily lose sight of our pure essence. The increasing pollution
of our rivers, seas, land, air and accelerating extinction of animals are
testament to the erosion and deterioration of our nature as well of our
nurture, planet Earth”
A web-based global
conservation group, with global partners and affiliates, aiming for the
betterment of Earth for the future.
Some current issues on the website, made
public by this group are:
- A petition to save the Rainforests
- Death from hunger – Food shortages in 3rd world
- The Ozone Depletion and Global Warming Connection
- The threat to life on Earth – An article about human
exploitation.
Although not directly as effective as other
schemes were action is directly taken, one very important aspect of
conservation is awareness and this is what this site gives you, an awareness of
Global conservation issues.
www.espearth.com
Conservation
International – Mission: “To
conserve the Earth’s living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to
demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature”
CI focuses on conservation in the following
regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Mesoamerica and South America.
Founded in 1997
www.conservation.org
The
Centre for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) –
“to strengthen CI’s ability to identify and respond to elements that threaten
Earth’s biological diversity”
Conservation International identifies
global priorities for biodiversity conservation and addresses them using best
practices and the best scientific knowledge available at CABS.
Founded in 1998 with a
large grant from the co-founder of Intel Corp, Gordon Moore.
www.cabs.conservation.org
A similarity shared by
all of the examples above, from the Local to Global initiatives, are established for the preservation of the biodiversity of life. The
policies introduced at different levels are different however, some concentrate
on the immediate regeneration of species populations, other projects are concerned
with aesthetics such as rubbish cleaning, or river cleaning. Other conservation
groups such as EspEarth, focus on the more longer term
philosophical changes caused by mans interactions with the environment.
All groups need participation, local co-operation
and local action. All are reliant on the ‘goodwill’ of the people to change.
Cultural Inertia is a hot-topic in the
beginning of the twenty first century. Should we (the West) export or culture,
to regions with completely different cultural backgrounds and differing
ecosystems of dependence. Is it for the betterment of mankind to eat McDonald's
in every city on Earth? No.
It is therefore essential as a
Conservationist to understand Biogeography, because to understand what must be
done in the future to which species and for what reason is found through
analysis of previous distributions and the biodiversity of regions.
Word count: 2,557
Bibliography
/ References
www.panda.org
– WWF
www.espearth.org
– EspEarth
www.conservation.org
– Conservation International
www.cabs.conservation.org
– CABS
www.gcte.org
– Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems
www.countryside.gov.uk
– Countryside Agency
www.detr.gov.uk
– Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions.
http://www.valdosta.edu/~grissino/geog4900/lect_1.htm
- Biodiversity
My notes:
“Discuss how conservation….” – 25th September
2001
Biodiversity – 16th October 2001
Historic, Current and Future importance of BioDiv – 23rd October 2001
Can Biodiversity help determine
conservation value? – 2nd October 2001
Criteria for selection of species for
conservation –
16th October 2001
