A4.2 Case Studies - Biodiversity Conservation PDF

A4.2 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: CASE STUDIES **[A4.2.3: SPECIES EXTINCITION]** CASE STUDY 1: North Island giant Moa - Lived in New Zealand until 1300 CE - Were a part of the "megafauna" and stood up to 5m - They were hunted to extinction by the Polynesians inhabiting the area, they...

A4.2 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: CASE STUDIES **[A4.2.3: SPECIES EXTINCITION]** CASE STUDY 1: North Island giant Moa - Lived in New Zealand until 1300 CE - Were a part of the "megafauna" and stood up to 5m - They were hunted to extinction by the Polynesians inhabiting the area, they were extinct within 100 years. CASE STUDY 2: Caribbean monk seal - Extinct in 2008, large population used to exist all over the Caribbean. - Over ¼ million seals were thought to exist, and 13 colonies of monk seals. - Hunted by the colonists for their oil, which could be used in lamps, as well as for food. CASE STUDY 3: The Dodo bird - Extinct since 1662 - Flightless birds that nested on the ground, they were however quite large -- around 23kg - Decimated by sailors for their meat, as they were an easy resource. - They had no natural predators and were not afraid of humans = \> when new species were introduced the species had no defence = \> habitat loss, eggs eaten and competition for food were key reasons for their extinction **[A4.2.4: ECOSYSTEM LOSS ]** CASE STUDY 1: Mixed dipterocarp forests [Location: Southeast asia ] - Family of trees with around 500 species, that once dominated South East Asia - 50% of the forest has been lost. - 1% of the forest is lost every year to "clear cutting" = \> involves complete removal of trees from an area - Vast areas of the forest cleared in order to plant palm oil trees = \> more economical CASE STUDY 2: The Great Barrier reef [Location: Queensland, Australia ] - One of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth - Top tourist location, and generates millions of employment opportunities and revenue - Pollution from farm an ship run off -- smothers the coral and seagrass, blocking the sunlight - Also a boom a subsequent boom in invasive species as a result - Fossil fuels and coal mining, which are primary causes of global warming, cause coral bleaching as the water remains a higher temperature for elongated periods of time **[A4.2.5: EVIDENCE OF CRISIS]** ICUN red list: International union for conservation of nature - Established in 1964 - More than 40,000 species listed as threatened on the list - The list is continually updated and each entry into the list contains the details of the research papers used to make the assessment. IBES: Intergovernmental science policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services - Published in 2019 to provide reliable guidance - Information is obtained from a wide range of habitats and is studied by universities and government research projects - The data is continually sampled to maintain accurate numbers and to identify trends within the data **[A4.2.7: CONSERVATION ]** *[IN Situ: Managing natural areas]* **Establishment of national parks = \>** restricts human activity like building, vistors and resource extraction from the area **Nature reserves =** \> manages and protects smaller areas like an endangered ecosystem by preventing urbanisation **Rewilding damaged areas = \>** removes manmade structures such as dams and allows for the area to regenerate naturally **Reclamation of degraded landscapes = \>** rebuild and replant damaged landscapes that are able to regenerate on their own *[EX Situ: Managing species outside of their natural area]* **Breeding programs = \>** completed in zoos to artificially inseminate species and increase genetic diversity and the pedigrees can be carefully tracked **Botanic gardens = \>** provide a living store to promote diversity, and can provide a genetic reservoir for conservation efforts of plant species **Seed banks = \>** plants seeds are stored, that can be used to repopulate a plant species if needed **Animal tissue banks = \>** germplasm and somatic tissue is stored from various animal species that can be used in reproductive breeding programs and possible cloning efforts **[A4.2.8: CONSERVATION PROGRAMS]** EDGE: Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered Species - Launched in 2007 by the zoological society of London. - Its purpose was to select genetically unique endangered species and promote their conservation. ***Process*** - The ICUN red list is consulted, and a score is generate depending on its status - The species is then evaluated for its unique evolutionary history = \> done by DNA sequencing - This helps to form local and government agencies on the organisation of conservation projects and species extinction. Highly endangered + Evolutionary unique = High EDGE score