Biodiversity in Malaysia (UCM60203U3)

March 2015 Semester

Week 1 by

Chrishnaveni Subramaniam

E mail: chrishnaveni.s@taylors.edu.my

Section 1 Brainstorming & Introduction to the Module

Section 2 Definition of Biodiversity

Origin of Biodiversity

Important Reminders

Content

Brainstorming Activity

Biodiversity = “Biological Diversity”

It simply means ‘variety of life’

i.e. “Biology = study of life or living beings such as plants and animals” and “diversity = variety”

What is Biodiversity?

Flowers?

Insects?

Bacteria?

Coral reefs?

Trees?

Forests?

Pandas?

Answer: ALL THE ABOVE

So what on earth is part of Biodiversity?

The origin of the term ‘Biodiversity’ is credited to 2 papers published back in 1980 by Lovejoy (1980) and Norse and McManus (1980).

Definition & Origin of Biodiversity

The term was coined in 1980s whereby:

Lovejoy wrote about Biodiversity in the concept of biotic diversity (variety of species)

Norse and McManus wrote about Biodiversity as 2 related concepts i.e. genetic diversity (amount of genetic variability within species) and ecological diversity (number of species in a community)

Definition & Origin of Biodiversity

The contracted form ‘Biodiversity’ was apparently introduced by Walter G. Rosen in 1985 for the first planning meeting of National Forum on Biodiversity held in Washington DC in Sept 1986, the proceedings of which Wilson and Peters (1988) brought the notion of ‘Biodiversity’ to the attention of scientists worldwide

Definition & Origin of Biodiversity

Growing concern on the following aspects gave rise to the introduction of Biodiversity:

Why Biodiversity Matters?

Natural extinction

Exploitation (human activity)

Growing concern on the following aspects gave rise to the introduction of Biodiversity:

Why Biodiversity Matters? (cont’d…)

Changing Environment

Depletion of Resources vs Need for Conservation

Incomplete Human Knowledge

of Biodiversity

Have you heard of the

GREEN PEACE MOVEMENT?

How could you relate this to our lesson today on biodiversity ?

Think!

Do you know?

Note: students to reflect on the brainstorming activity conducted in the class and write a one page essay on one

of the current crisis of global biodiversity that is acted upon by the above Global Environmental Organization

Enforced on 29 Dec 1993, one of the most significant environmental treaties ever developed

3 main goals:

Conservation of Biodiversity

Sustainable use of the components of Biodiversity

Sharing the benefits arising from the alterations of genetic resources in a fair & equitable manner

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Following are the obligations of each country as party to the CBD:

Develop a national plan for biodiversity conservation

Research into what there is and what is important, in terms of conservation (incl. monitoring important species)

Establishing protected areas & guidelines

Promote sustainable development esp. protected areas

Help endangered & rare species to breed by protecting them & their habitat

Obligations under CBD

Following are the obligations of each country as party to the CBD:

Protect native species through regulating both genetically modified organisms and foreign species that could compete for similar food/resources

Promote sustainable, particularly customary use of biodiversity resources

Protect indigenous and local knowledge and communities

Engage in public education & awareness building on biodiversity

Obligations under CBD (cont’d…)

Defines Biodiversity by recognizing 3 principal components i.e. ecosystem, species and genes.

Biodiversity as variety of life

CBD’s Definition of Biodiversity

10 – 100 million on earth out of which about 1.5 million sp. have been named

Covers everything that is alive on earth from microbes to Giant river otters in the Amazon

On a finer scale, covers the genetic variation within species

How many species are there?

Ecological/ Ecosystem Diversity

Organismal/ Species Diversity

Biomes Kingdoms Bioregions Phyla Landscapes Families Ecosystems Genera Habitats Species Niche Subspecies Populations Populations Individuals Genetic Diversity Populations Individuals Chromosomes Genes Nucleotides

Composition & Levels of Biodiversity

Variety of genetic info (genes) contained in each individual plant, animal and micro-organisms

Occurs within and between populations of same species and between different species

Non-identical gene in living being of same species

Genetic variation due to complexity of and adaptability to habitats

measurable using DNA based & other techniques

Genetic Diversity

Variety of habitats, biotic communities, and ecological processes (energy flow, water & nutrient cycling, succession, competition, mutualism etc) within and between each ecosystem

Harder to measure

Ecosystem Diversity

Variety of living species

Species is a group of similar individuals that interbreed in nature and are reproductively isolated from all other such groups

Species Diversity

Malaysia is one of the world’s megadiverse countries ranked 12th in the world, according to the National Biodiversity Index

Based on 2012 statistics, approximately 60% of the country’s total land area is still forested, including permanent reserved forest (PRF), state land forests, national parks, and wildlife and bird sanctuaries.

10.6% of Malaysia’s land area has been designated as terrestrial protected areas.

Malaysia & Biodiversity

Based on the 2008 IUCN Red List, Malaysia is home to 1,141 threatened species, including plants and animals.

Malaysia & Biodiversity

Category Estimated No of Species

Vascular Plants 15 000

Mammals 306

Birds 742

Amphibians 242

Reptiles 567

Freshwater Fish >449

Marine Fish >500

Invertebrates >150 000

Assessment Type Overall Weightage

Due Date

Quizzes (4) *Individual submission

10% Weeks 2, 4, 6 , 8

Oral Presentation on a Biodiversity Topic *Group submission

10% Week 7

Field Trip & Report * Individual submission

20% Week 9

Examination Mid Semester (all MCQ) Final (all MCQ)

20% 40%

Week 5 Week 10/11

Assessments

Reminder on today’s homework

Students to reflect on the brainstorming activity conducted in the beginning of today’s class and write a one page essay on one of the current crisis of global biodiversity that is acted upon by the Greenpeace Global Environment Organization.

Submission: During next class (Week 2)

Important Reminders