Threats to Biodiversity: An Overview Guided Viewing Name: _____________________________________________________ 1: Natural Capital: Forests Ecological Services Reduce soil erosion

Absorbs and releases water Supports energy flow and chemical cycling Purify water and the air Influence local and regional climate Store atmospheric carbon Provide numerous wildlife habitats Economic Services Lumber Pulp to make paper Fuelwood Mining Livestock grazing Recreation Jobs

2: What are the 3 main types of forests? Old Growth Forest: An uncut or regenerated forest that hasnt been disturbed for several 100years. Second Growth Forest: Stand of trees resulting from natural secondary succession. Tree Plantation: Planted stands of a certain tree species.

3: What are some of the problems associated with deforestation? Runoff of eroded soil into aquatic systems Premature extinction of species with specialized niches Decreased soil fertility from erosion 4: What are the methods for harvesting trees? Clear Cutting Selective Cutting Strip Cutting 5: Clear-Cutting Forests Advantages
Higher timber yields Maximum profits in shortest time Can reforest with fast growing trees Needs less skills Good for trees species needing full/ moderate sunlight Short time to establish new stands for trees

Disadvantages
Disrupts ecosystem processes Leaves Large openings Reduces biodiversity Increases water pollution, flooding, and erosion on steep slopes Eliminates most recreational value Destroys and fragments wildlife habitats

6: What are some solutions for sustainable forestry? Grow more timber on long rotations Identify and protect forests for sustainable forestry Rely more on strip and selective cutting 7: What is the Healthy Forest Restoration Act? What are the PROS and CONS? Allows timber companies to cut medium and large trees and large trees in 71% of the national forests. Some forest scientists believe this could increase severe fires by removing fore resistant trees and living highly flammable slash 8: Logging in National Forests Advantages Cut areas grow back Provides jobs in nearby communities Helps meet counties timber needs Promotes economic growth in nearby communities Disadvantages Ample private forest land to meet timber lands Damages nearby rivers and fisheries Provides only 4% of timber needs Recreation in national forests provides more local jobs and income for local communities than logging Decreases recreational opportunities Has little effect on timber and paper prices

Keeps lumber and paper prices down

9: What are some causes of tropical deforestation? Population growth Subsidies Poverty 10: Why should we care about the loss of tropical forests? We should care because about 2,100 of the 3,000 plants identified by the National Cancer Institution as source of cancer fighting chemicals that come from tropical forests. 11: Sustaining Tropical Forests Prevention
Protect most diverse and endangered areas Educated settler about sustainable agriculture and forestry Phase out subsidies that encourage unsustainable forest use Add subsidies that encourage sustainable forest use

Restoration
Reforestation Rehabilitation of degraded areas Concentrate farming and ranching on the areas that have been cleared already

Protect forests with debt for nature swaps and conservation easements

12: Why are rangelands/grasslands so important? Soil formation Erosion control Nutrient cycling 13: How can we sustain rangeland productivity? What are some solutions to overgrazing? We can sustain rangeland productivity by controlling the number and distribution of livestock and by restoring degraded rangeland. Overgrazing happens to occur when too many animals graze for too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a grassland area. 14: What is the 4 point strategy to restoring biodiversity worldwide? Locate and protect endangered ecosystems and species Make development biodiversity friendly Map global ecosystems Restore as many degraded ecosystems as possible 15: What is a biodiversity hotspot? How many are there worldwide? A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of important and endangered centers of biodiversity. 16: What are the top 6 hotspots in the United States? Hawaii San Francisco Bay Area Southern Appalachians Death Valley Southern California Florida Panhandle 17: What are the five basic science-based principles for ecological restoration? Identify The Causes Stop the Abuse by eliminating or sharply reducing factors Reintroduce species if necessary Protect the area from further degradation Use adaptive management to monitor 18: Define: Preservation: Setting aside or protecting undisturbed natural areas from harmful human activities. Remediation: Repairing and ecosystem that has been destroyed

Sustainability: Ability of a system to survive for some specified time 18: What are the eight priorities for protecting biodiversity? Keep intact remaining old growth Determine the worlds marine hotspots Make conservation profitable Take immediate action to preserve worlds biological hotspots Complete mapping of worlds biodiversity for inventory and decision making \ Ensure that the full range of the earths ecosystems are included in global conservation strategy

19: Define: Reconciliation/Applied Ecology Established and maintain new habitats to conserve species in places where people live, work, and play A Community Based on conservation 20: Define: Background Extinction: Continuous, Low Level of extinction of species Extinction Rate: Expressed as a percentage or number of species that go extinct within a certain time period Mass Extinction: Extinction of many species in a relatively short amount of time. 21: What are characteristics of vulnerable species? Low Reproductive rate Specialized feeding habitats Feed at a high trophic levels Large size Specialized nesting or breeding areas Found only in one place or region 22: What is HIPPCO? Invasive species Habitat destruction, degration, and fragmentation Popular growth 23: What can you do about invasive species? Stop Wild Animals from escaping Dont Dump the contents of an aquarium in waterways, wetlands, or storm drains Stop the spread of wild plants to different areas 24: What are some characteristics of successful invader species?

High reproductive rate, short generation time (r- selective species) Pioneer Species Long Lived

25: How is pollution affecting species? 67 million birds 6-14 million fish Kill about 1/5th of the US honeybee colonies 26: What is overexploitation? Legal and illegal wild life trade Some protected species are killed for their valuable parts or are sold live for collectors Killing predators and pets that bother us or cause economic losses threatens some species with premature extinction 27: What is the U.S. Endangered Species Act? Makes it illegal for Americans to engage in commerce associated with/or Hunt , kill, collect endangered or threatened species. Forbids federal agencies (besides defense department) to carry out found projects that would jeopardize an endangered species 28: What is the CITIES Treaty? Banned all international trade in elephant products to protect elephant populations that were being decimated by poachers Signed in 152 countries and lists more than 800 species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products because they are in danger of extinction and 29,000 other species whose international trade is monitored because they are at risk of becoming threatened 29: What can you do to help terrestrial biodiversity? What can you do to help protect species worldwide? Plant tress and take good care of them Recycle Paper Buy recyclable products Adopt a forest