Define sustainable yield?
The ‘safe’ level of harvest that can be harvested/caught/utilised without harming the individual ecosystem.
What is MSY (maximum sustainable yield)?
The greatest harvest that can be taken indefinitely while leaving the ecosystem intact.
What is OSY (optimum sustainable yield)?
The best compromise achievable in the light of all the social and economic considerations.
Define carrying capacity.
Maximum human population that can exist in equilibrium with the available resources. It can vary seasonally.
Define overshoot.
When a population consumption exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment.
What is the ‘zone of overharvest’?
Taking too much from an ecosystem - unsustainable.
Who are the key players?
Scientists & researchers International Organisations NGOs Local/regional gov. Artists/poets National gov. TNCs Local communities - farmers, indigenous Individuals Consumers
Who are the global players and what do they do?
RAMSAR convention (conserve wetlands, 147 countries)
World Heritage Convention (protects cultural & natural sites, 180 countries, 1971)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES (control trade, 166 countries, 1973)
Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (prevent shooting of birds in passage, 1979, 90 countries)
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS (149 countries)
TNCs
World Bank
WTO
International Tropical Timber Organisation ITTO
NGOs (WWF, Greenpeace International)
What role do TNCs have?
Invest in renewable energy projects and exploitation
Drive innovation & tech, with both positive and negative effects
Favour green strategies to improve public image
Control which goods and services used and sold
What do the ITTO do?
Have mechanisms for forest conservation
Many top schemes so controversial
Local needs in developing countries not met
What does the WWF do?
Stop degradation of natural environ. & build a future where people live in harmony with nature
What does Greenpeace International do?
Stop illegal whaling
Capture public attention by taking direct action of conservation issues
Wide media coverage of lobby governments
What national responsibilities and players are there?
Government
- regulation (establish/enforce laws to conserve genetic biodiversity)
- protect areas/species
- regulate polluting agrochemicals and releasing invasive species
- Fund preservation/conservation development (taxes and subsidies)
- Provide incentives to conserve (pay farmers to be stewards of landscape & farms in environmentally friendly way)
What local responsibilities and players are there?
- Indigenous want biodiversity for basic survival
- Local farmers have strong views about conservation as conflicts with their subsistence farming
- Come together creating conservation crusaders
What individual responsibilities and players are there?
- Food, fuel, water & shelter demands
- ethical consumerism
- ecosystems (spiritual renewal, recreation)
- tourism (Galapagos)
- form specialist groups (divers, bird watchers, mountaineers)
What are the possible strategies & policies on a scale from total protection to total exploitation?
(TOTAL PROTECTION) Scientific reserve Wildlife reserves & parks Community wildlife management Extractive reserves Economic development integrated into conservation Tolerant forest management Exploitation with token protection (TOTAL EXPLOITATION)
What does total protection involve?
- narrowly focused for scientific purposes but conservation is also influenced by social, economic, cultural and political factors
- based on political & administrative boundaries but ecosystems natural borders are ignored
- rely on youth outside agencies & local needs ignored
- conflict between conservation & cutting people out
What do biosphere reserves involve?
- attention to design & distribution of reserves
- conservation should target hotspots as there is high biodiversity and endemism to protect
- focused on developing countries as lower cost so greater value for money
- more fudning for high profile species (whales, tigers, panda as they attract more interest
What does restoration involve?
- recreate wetlands
- restore derelict mines/quarriers/spoil heaps (but this is expensive as it is from scratch)
- expense/ease depends on how readily plants will reseed & the level of pollution
What are the types of conservation and give examples.
In situ (wildlife reserve) Ex situ (botanic gardens, captive breeding, seed banks)
What the positives and negatives of captive breeding?
Used to educate people and buys time
But releasing back into the environ. can be difficult
What are the problems with the future of biodiversity?
- only 12% of surface is protected and less than 1% of marine areas are protected
- protected areas are fragmented and unevenly distributed
- funding is short for conservation and protection in developing
- effective conservation is not being carried out and is not successful
- protecting remote area against illegal human activity (poaching, harvesting) is not effective
- Biodiversity is not protected and is threatened (CC, pollution, alien species, unsustainable development)
What is the MEA?
Millenium Ecosystems Assessment
What are the 4 MEA scenarios?
1) Global Orchestration (connected but only reactive)
2) Order from Strength (not connected and only reactive)
3) Adapting Mosaic (proactive but not connective)
4) Techno Garden (proactive and connected)
