18.3. Conservation

Question 1

Methods of protecting endangered species

Answer 1

1) zoos
2) botanic gardens
3) conserved areas (national parks and marine parks
4) ‘frozen zoos’
5) seed banks

Question 2

Zoos as a method of protecting endangered species

Answer 2

Zoos have a variety of functions in addition to providing enjoyment and interest for visitors who can see and study animals that they would not otherwise be able to see.

Advantages

• Endangered and vulnerable animal species would be protected from predators or other selection pressures out in the wild, so this prevents them from becoming extinct
• Health of endangered animals would be monitored so ensures their survival
• Can research on these mammals, especially in trying to gain a better understanding of breeding habits, habitat requirements and ways to increase genetic diversity

Disadvantages

• Animals are bred from small populations, meaning that genetic diversity would be very low
• Some animals simply refuse to breed in captivity so breeding programmes may not work
• Often, it is not possible to create suitable habitats for the mammals, so they cannot be returned to the wild which is the main goal of selective breeding.
• Sometimes, even if a habitat exists, it is very difficult for the animals to adapt to living in it after being cared for in a zoo.
• Captive-bred animals may not know how to avoid predators, find food or rear their own young

Question 3

Conserved areas (national parks and marine parks) as a method of protecting endangered species

Answer 3

• Areas of land controlled by the government of a country and protected by legislation
• Agriculture, building, mining and other industrial activities are strictly controlled
• There are restrictions on human activities in national parks.
• Tourism brings in money to pay for the maintenance of the parks, and also helps to inform people about how conservation takes place.
• This raises awareness of important issues and can elicit support from the public.
• Marine parks, like that in the Galapagos Islands, have been set up in many places to conserve fragile ecosystems and areas at risk of overfishing, dredging and pollution

Question 4

Botanic Gardens as a method of protecting endangered species

Answer 4

• Seeds or cuttings are collected from species in the wild and then used to build up a population of plants from which, one day, some plants may be reintroduced to their natural habitats.
• Protect endangered plant species; the world’s botanic gardens already cultivate around one-third of the world’s known plant species, many of which are increasingly threatened in the wild by environmental degradation and climate change
• Research methods of reproduction and growth so that species cultivated in botanic gardens can be grown in appropriate conditions and be propagated
• Research conservation methods so plants can be introduced to new habitats if their original habitat has been destroyed
• Reintroduce species to habitats where they have become very rare or extinct
• Educate the public in the many roles of plants in ecosystems and their economic value.

Question 5

‘Frozen Zoos’ as a method of protecting endangered species

Answer 5

• A ‘frozen zoo’, such as the one at the San Diego Zoo, holds genetic resources in the form of sperm, eggs and embryos from many endangered and vulnerable species until they might be needed.
• Frozen zoos can hold much more genetic diversity than a normal zoo and the material can be kept for very long periods of time.
• Frozen egg and sperm

Question 6

Seed Banks as a method of protecting endangered species

Answer 6

• Store seeds collected by plants
• Many seeds will live a very long time in dry conditions, but others need more specialised storage environments
• A few seeds are germinated every so often so that the fresh seed can be collected and stored

Question 7

Assisted Reproduction

Answer 7

A solution to the problem of inbreeding

1) Artificial Insemination
2) Embryo Transfer
3) IVF

Question 8

Artificial Insemination

Answer 8

• Sperm is physically deposited into the uterus.

- The female will naturally be ovulating (or on ‘heat’), or she will be given hormones to super ovulate.

Question 9

Embryo Transfer

Answer 9

• Embryos can be transferred from the biological mother to surrogate mothers.
• This is advantageous as it protects the endangered mother, and means she can produce many embryos.

Question 10

IVF (in vitro fertilisation)

Answer 10

• Oocytes are collected by inserting a needle into the ovaries and withdrawing some mature follicles.
• The oocytes are kept in a culture medium for a short time and then mixed with semen.
• The resulting zygotes divide to form embryos, which are cultured for several days and then placed into the mother or into several females of the same or different species.

Question 11

NGOs (Non-governmental organisations)

Answer 11

Usually non-profit and sometimes international organizations independent of governments and international governmental organizations (though often funded by governments) that are active in humanitarian, educational, health care, public policy, social, human rights, environmental, and other areas to effect changes according to their objectives.

Question 12

CITES Stands for

Answer 12

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna

Question 13

What is CITES

Answer 13

• Multilateral environmental agreement
• Agreed in Washington, D.C. on March 3rd 1973
• Entered into force in 1975
• Currently 180 parties
• CITES is the preeminent global legal instrument for regulating international trade in wild animals and plants
• CITES serves to both
• Facilitate legal, sustainable, and traceable trade
  Intercept legall wildlife trade

Question 14

CITES appendix I

Answer 14

• Species threatened with extinction
• International commercial trade in wild-taken specimens is generally prohibited
• 3% of all CITES-listed species

Question 15

CITES appendix II

Answer 15

• Species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but for which trade must be controlled to avoid their becoming so
• International commercial trade not allowed but regulated
• 96% of all CITES-listed species

Question 16

CITES appendix III

Answer 16

• Species for which a country is asking Parties to help with its protection
• International trade is permitted but regulated

Question 17

CITES species

Answer 17

• CITES regulates international trade in approximately 35000 species of animals and plants
• To date, more than 400 tree species are included in the CITES appendices
• More than 290 high value timber species, have been listed over the last two years in CITES appendix II and III

Question 18

What is the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Answer 18

• Established in 1961
• Mission statement to ‘Stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature’
• Funds Conservation projects
• Brings public attention to environmental issues
• Campaigns to save ecosystems at risk and species on the brink of extinction

Question 19

Restoring Degraded Habitats

Answer 19

• Conservation involves restoring areas that have been degraded by human activity or by natural catastrophes, such as food, fre, hurricane, typhoon and earthquake.
• This can be done on a small scale when a farmer decides to plant trees on land that is no longer needed for food production or has become degraded by overuse

Question 20

Mangroves

Answer 20

• Mangrove forests are found throughout the tropics. \
• This is an extremely rich ecosystem that provides valuable protection to coastlines from storms
• Many mangrove forests have been cut down to make way for coastal developments.
• Mangrove forests provide important ‘ecosystem services’.
• They reduce coastal erosion by reducing the effects of strong waves during storms and they act as a barrier to rising sea levels by trapping sediment.
• They are also important nurseries for young fish.

Question 21

Why is there overpopulation of certain species

Answer 21

Human activities have removed the top predators, which can allow populations of their prey species to become very large. This may in turn threaten other species in the ecosystem

Question 22

Methods of preventing overpopulation of species

Answer 22

1) Culling

2) Contraception

Question 23

Culling as a method of preventing overpopulation of species

Answer 23

• selected animals in a population are killed
• may be done by hunters, who are given licenses
• sometimes it is done in zoos, where a certain animal is deemed not suitable for breeding

Question 24

Contraception as a method of preventing overpopulation of species

Answer 24

• For example, female elephants in South Africa may be given vaccines that cause them to produce antibodies that prevent sperm from fertilising their eggs