Dr. Seuss’s THE LORAX

Directions: • Go to your group’s table

• As a group rank your list of species in order of value or importance. – For example: If you only

had the resources to protect some of the species, which ones would be your priority

• Answer the final question on your worksheet

Bellwork:

• “The raging monster upon the land is

population growth. In its presence,

sustainability is but a fragile theoretical

construct.” -E.O. Wilson (1992)

• Describe what you think the above quote

means.

DDT-The chemical that woke up the nation.

• Used to control insects, kill mosquito larvae

• Birds contracted it from food that they ate and passed it on through the food chain – Caused thin shells that easily cracked, causing populations

to decrease

• Banned in 1972

• in the 1940's DDT and other pesticides became widely used as insecticides.

• Due to the accumulative and persistent nature of DDT and the adverse reproductive effects, DDT lasted a long time in the environment

• REVIEW Biomagnification: the process whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals move up the food chain. – The substances become more concentrated in tissues

or internal organs as they move up the chain.

Conservation Biology

• Study/Implementation of methods to

protect biodiversity

– Natural resources must also be considered

because species depend upon sufficient

supplies of natural resources

• Parts of the environment that are useful/necessary

for living organisms

Sustainable Development/Use

• Enable people to use

natural resources in ways

that will benefit them and

the ecosystem

• Can harvest or obtain

materials, but activity is

managed

• Example: brazil nuts,

selective cutting in

forests, global fisheries

Selectively Cutting Forests

• Rather than clear-

cutting a forest,

people must think

about how the soil,

water, and wildlife will

be affected and adjust

harvesting strategies

to minimize the

impact on the

environment.

• Ex: forest of bamboo

grow quickly and can

provide an abundant

supply of wood to

support the demand.

Fisheries

• Depleted the fish

populations because

most fish that are

caught are healthy,

and at the

reproducing age.

• We can increase the

fishing industries

sustainability by:

– Rotating fish species

caught

– Reviewing fishing gear

to ensure it is not

damaging sea

floor/catching

unwanted species

– Reduce harvest

quantities

– Put fishing bans in

certain areas to help

increase population

Conservation Umbrella Effect

• Conservation Practices

focus on a few species

but benefit the entire

ecosystem.

• Endangered Species Act

(1973) was designed to

protect species near

extinction by establishing

protection for the

organism and their

environment.

• The listed species is

often called the

umbrella species

because it protection,

protects many other

species.

Why Preserve the Earth?

• The cycling of nutrients and the regulation

of water provide essential resources that

are almost impossible for humans to

manufacture.

– If we put a human economic value on the

services that Earth’s natural ecosystems

provide it would be ~$30 trillion/year!

Where are our priorities?

-In Hot Spots

Protecting Our Natural

Resources • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

was created in 1970 to help develop

policies and regulations to protect the

environment across the U.S.

– Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered

Species Act, etc.

• FACT: By 1970 only 36% of our waterways were

considered safe for swimming.

Preserving Habitats

• Creation of natural preserves and parks

– The management of multiple-use areas and

wilderness areas balances recreation for

visitors with protection of the natural

ecosystem

– Has been an effective method to preserve

ecosystems and the communities in them

• Example: Yosemite Grant (1864) was the first step to

protect nature from development-led to the National Park

Service.

• America's first national park.

• Located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

• home to a large variety of wildlife

Reintroduction Programs

• Release organisms into an area where the

species once-lived

– Usually done after a captive breeding

program

Gray Wolves in Yellowstone Black-Footed Ferret in Wyoming

Captivity

• When a species no longer exists in the

wild, but a population is maintained by

humans

• Helps prevent extinction

• Can store seeds for long periods of time,

but we can’t do that with animals

• Ginkgo Tree

Creating a Sustainable Earth

• Humans represent an integral part of

Earth’s ecosystems and are subject to the

same limitations as other species living on

the planet.

– We have a much larger impact on our

environment because of our population size

and because we are all over the globe.

We have the ability/technology to

change our impact on the world

• Ability to control how fast our population

grows through controlling birth rates

• Can develop technology to produce more

food/produce and less waste

• Ability to change our practices, take action

to protect and maintain ecosystems and

even reduce/eliminate the pressures we

place on the planet’s biogeochemical

processes

• While humans may not have

directly visited every inch of

the planet, humans have

caused pollutants, invasive

species, and ecosystem

alterations that have reached

all parts of the world. YET our

lives depend on a healthy,

thriving, sustainable Earth.

Planet Earth Saving Species

Video