Chapter 5Section 2

Conservation and Biodiversity—Methods to

protect endangered species.

Conservation biology – The study and use of strategies to protect biodiversity.

Conservation biology involves conservation of species and the natural

resources that are necessary for living things

(sun, water, air, soil, plants, animals).

Conservation Strategies• Legal protection• Habitat preservation• Habitat corridors• Sustainable use• Reintroduction programs• Captivity

Legal Protection

• U.S. Endangered Species Act made it illegal to harm species on the endangered or threatened species list

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species – prohibits world wide trade of listed species

Preserving Habitats

• State and national parks preserve natural environments and provide protected habitats for many organisms.

Wildlife of Shenandoah National Park

Habitat Corridors

• Protected strips of land that connect two wilderness areas.

• Provide path for migration.

• Prevent habitat fragmentation

Sustainable Use• Using natural recourses in

such a way as to limit or prevent adverse impacts on plant and animal species.

Sustainable Use• Brazil nuts are

harvested in a way that protects the Amazon but provides income to people who live in the region

Captivity• Species that can no longer

survive in the wild due to changes in their habitat can be raised by people.

Reintroduction Program

• Captive species can be reintroduced into the wild once their habitat is reestablished.

Reintroduction of animals into the wild

can be difficult because animals may loose the behaviors necessary to

survive in the wild while in captivity.

Global Warming

• Increase of earth’s temperature

• Due to increase production of Carbon dioxide that gets trapped in atmosphere

• More CO2 in atmosphere due to increased burning of fossil fuels

Effects of Global Warming

• Rising sea levels as glaciers melt

• Unfreezing of permafrost in tundra

• Change of climate—cooler areas become warmer causing habitat changes

Loss of Ozone Layer• Ozone forms a

protective layer in the upper atmosphere that blocks many UV light rays

• Chlorine from CFC’s (in refrigerator coolants) breaks down in this layer and breaks the ozone down.

Effects of Ozone Depletion

• This allows more UV light radiation to earth, which increases genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer and other ecological problems.

Acid Rain• Caused by increased

particulates in exhaust from cars, factories, etc.

• This has increased due to increase of fossil fuel burning around the world

• Cleaner fuel and brushes in smoke stacks help.

Effects of Acid Rain

• Raises the pH level of ecosystems beyond organisms’ tolerance levels

• Kills forests and ponds• Causes smog and eats

away faces of buildings

Effects of Human Population

• Because humans are in exponential growth, we need more and more space to live, grow food, dump wastes.

• This causes habitat loss and fragmentation.

• As we burn more and more fossil fuels, we create more and more pollution, acid rain, etc.

• Ecological problems become worse and worse.