Flashcards
ZM2 Conservation Science
Flashcards do conjunto (25)
- 1Deforestation of Sumatra's lowland forestOut of 16M ha a century ago, only 0.5M ha remaining: 95% converted mainly due to logging + oil palm plantations
- 2Net conversion of tropical humid forest5.8M ha/y, with another 2.3M ha/y visibly degraded
- 3Deforestation around the globeLatin America 0.33%, Africa 0.36% per yer, SE Asia 0.71%
- 4Para State BrazilHabitat deterioration (e.g. fire, selective logging) thought to have caused an additional loss of conservation value equal to 51% of that caused by deforestation alone
- 5Loss of biodiversityGibson et al 2011 meta analysed 138 studies comparing bird, mammal, arthropod and plant abundance and species richness in disturbed vs primary forest. Found biodiversity values are lower under almost any form of disturbance.
- 6Loss of harvestable goodsMany resources critical for maintaining childhood nutrition. Evidence linking declining forest cover with increased diarrhoea.
- 7Hydrological impacts24% rise in discharge from the Tocantins watershed in Brazil. Followed 30y increase in cropland and pasture from 30% to 49% cover.
Due to soil damage, a loss of ground water storage led to decrease of dry season flows in Java after conversion of 33% of forest to farming. - 8Loss of carbon storage and sequestration2.9 billion tonnes carbon released/y due to tropical deforestation. Equivalent to ~40% of all CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
- 9Protected AreasNetwork now covers ~50% of remaining forest
- 10Enhanced enforcement beyond PAsBetter designation of land ownership and improved efforts at law enforcement has apparently led to downturn in deforestation rates in Mato Grosso State, Brazil
- 11Market forcesConditions attached to international loans e.g. Brazils Soy Moratorium, prohibits soy production on recently cleared land
- 12Payments for water servicesHousehold water users in Costa Rica and Ecuador, industrial water users in Tanzania and Brazil, and HEP companies in Columbia, Ecuador and Laos
- 13Payments for carbon storageREDD+: an effective global scheme could meet up to 12% of the emissions reductions needed to stabilise CO2 levels at 450ppm by 2100.
- 14WaterBy 1996 humanity used an estimated 23% of all renewable freshwater. Use of fossil water for irrigation is thought to be responsible for >40% of observed sea level rise since 1961.
- 15Farming GGE's25% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
- 16BiodiversityDonald et al 2001 found that population trends in 52 farmland bird spp. were negatively correlated with national yield.
- 17Land sharing in tropicsIn Costa Rica, 50y after clearance ~50% of bird spp. found in 227ha forest also persist in smaller fragments or open habitats.
- 18Netherlands land sharing studyKleijn et al 2001 found no significant difference in species richness between conventional and agri-environment plots
- 19Land sparing167 Ghanaian bird species surveyed across a continuum of land uses by Phalan et al 2011. Most are losers having curve profiles that mean they would fare least badly under land sparing.
- 20Increasing yields while lowering externalitiesReaching 75% of attainable yields would increase global production of rice, wheat and maize by 29% even while lowing nutrient inputs. In Brazil, boosting cattle productivity to just 50% of attainable levels would make room for all foreseen crop expansion through to 2040.
- 21Grand banks fisheryClosure. Loss of 10s of thousands of fishing-related jobs. Income support and re-training cost the Canadian government in excess of $3 billion. Female cod can produce up to 9M eggs in a year and live for 30 years. Biologically difficult to drive down numbers.
- 22Loss of livelihoods and valuable resourcesTotal marine catch is declining at ~1%/year for the last 20 years
- 23Ecological extinction of exploited species (sharks/tuna)75% decrease in NW Atlantic sharks in 15y (Baum et al 2003). Continuing collapse of gianta bluefin tina (MacKenzie et al 2009). Single individual in Jan 2013 sold for $1.7 million.
- 24Cascading effects though ecosystemRemoving adult cod on Grand Banks had probably reduced juvenile recruitment, as adults eat predators of young (Jackson et al 2001)
- 25Severe collateral damage (Lyme Bay)Boulder and cobble reef photographed in early 1990s showing abundance of erect sponges such as Axinella dissimilis. Completely destroyed within 24 hours of scallop dredgers.