Term
| What do we know about the origin of species and where they are found? |
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Definition
| 25 biodiversity hotspots, most are along coastlines and in the tropics |
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Term
| What tools are available to preserve endangered species? |
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Definition
- protected areas network design
- habitat management
- metapopulation dynamics
- basic population genetics
- population viability analysis
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Term
| Conservation vs. Preservation |
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Definition
Conservation: sustainable use of natural resources
Preservation: hands off! |
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Term
| Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1836 |
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Definition
"Nature is the incarnation of thought. The world is the mind precipitated."
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
"The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation." |
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Term
| Transcendentalism: Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862 |
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Definition
| From 1845-1847, Thoreau moved to a hut on the edge of Walden Pond, near Concord, MA. Guided by the maxim "simplify, simplify", he strictly limited his expenditures, possessions and cocntact with others. The goal " to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach". |
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Term
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Definition
- argued for removal of technology from natural areas- hands off, pristing wilderness
- enjoy nature for intrinsic value; leave it untouched
- "environmentalists" of today- John Muir founded Sierra Club
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Term
| Resource Conservation: Gifford Pinchot |
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Definition
"The first principle of conservation is development, the use of the natural resources now existing on this planet for the benefit of the people who live here now".
utilitarian conservation ethic |
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Term
| Aldo Leopold- The Land Ethic |
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Definition
- In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo Sapiens from conqueror of the land- community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow members and also respect for the community as such.
- not based on economics, but on ecology and evolution
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Term
| The Conservation Movement |
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Definition
Romantic-Transcendental Preservation Ethic
Nature has uses other than human economic gain
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir
Resource Conservation Ethic
"natural resources"
gifford pinchot
Evolutionary-Ecological Land Ethic
developed in the 20th century with evolutionary ecology
Aldo Leopold |
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Term
Romantic Transcendental Preservation Ethic people |
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Definition
| Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Muir |
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Term
| Resource Conservation Ethic person |
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Definition
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Term
| Evolutionary- Ecological Land Ethic person |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
- only the "utilitarian" ethic has been persuasive to those not already committed to conservation.
- most conservation efforts prior to 1960 were concerned with: land conservation: setting aside parcels of land for protection and public enjoyment, and wildlife management of game animal populations to provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and observation.
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Term
| Rachel Carson "Silent Spring" |
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Definition
- 1907-1964, perhaps the most influential environmentalist of the last century
- marine biologist and author, taught at the University of Maryland
- her book "The Sea Around Us" (bestseller, 1951) established her reputation as an exceptional author
- her 1962 book Silent Spring (1962) sent a shockwave across America as her readers realized that widespread use of pesticides (eg. DDT) were killing many non-target species, especially birds.
- Silent Spring began the modern environmental movement.
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Term
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Definition
def: the applied science of maintaing the earth's biological diversity
" conservation biology seeks to integrate evolutionary theory with environmental reality to predict how an animal/population/species will react to future/current changes, usually human caused, in its environment/density/distribution. Most importantly, whether it will survive and what to do to prevent extinction.
- Michael Soule, 1978 |
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Term
| Modern Conservation Biology |
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Definition
Conservation of endangered species
demographic and genetic consequences of small population size, PVA, biology of small populations, manipulative technologies that enhance survival probability and design of nature reserves for particular species.
Conservation of functional and structural aspects of important ecosystems
diversity andstability of ecological communities, habitat fragmentation, landscape ecology, island ecology, biogeography, and restoration ecology |
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Term
| Conservation Biology vs. Biology |
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Definition
Basic Biology
investigate a problem of interest, then select methods of investigation.
Conservation Biology
problems are chosen for us, must select methods of response (management_ and identify what we need to know to select those methods. |
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Term
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Definition
Up to 1/3 of the Earth's biodiversity will be lost in the next several decades
We don't have time to collect all the relevant information for all species
Deciding to recommend further study is a decision. It is a decision that if there is a problem, we can still correct it later. |
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Term
| Conservation Biology: "Value Laden" |
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Definition
Mission: develop new guiding principles and technologies to allow society to presereve biological diversity before thatdiodiversity disappears forever
Traditional scientific disciplinesdo not have missions.
Is this a detriment to conservation bio? |
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Term
Three guiding principles of conservation Biology |
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Definition
1. evolution is the basic axiom that unites all of biology(the evolutionary play)
2. the ecological world is dynamic and largely non-equilibrial
(the ecological theater)
3. the human presence must be included in conservation planning (humans are part of the play) |
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