Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach

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Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity The
Ecosystem Approach
G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment 14th
Edition Chapter 11
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Key Concepts

• Human land use

• Types and uses of US public lands

• Forests and forest management

• Implications of deforestation

• Management of parks

• Establishment and management of nature preserves

• Importance of ecological restoration

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Factors Increasing Biodiversity

• Middle stage of succession

• Moderate environmental disturbance

• Small changes in environmental conditions

• Physically diverse habitat

• Evolution

Refer to Fig. 11-2 p. 195
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Factors Decreasing Biodiversity

• Extreme environmental conditions

• Large environmental disturbance

• Intense environmental stress

• Severe shortages of resources

• Nonnative species introduction

• Geographic isolation

Refer to Fig. 11-2 p. 195
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Human Activities and Biodiversity
Fig. 11-3 p. 195
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Importance of Biodiversity

• Intrinsic value

• Instrumental value

• Existence value

• Aesthetic value

• Bequest value

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Solutions for Protecting Biodiversity
Fig. 11-5 p. 197
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Conservation Biology

• Multidisciplinary science

• Emergency response

• Identify hot spots

• Rapid Assessment Teams

• Based on Leopolds ethics

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Types of US Public Lands

• Multiple-use lands National Forests National
  Resource Lands

• Moderately-restricted use lands National
  Wildlife Refuges

• Restricted-use lands National Park System
  National Wilderness Preservation System

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US Public Lands
Fig. 11-6 p. 198
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Managing US Public Land

• Biodiversity and ecological function

• No subsidies or tax breaks for use

• Public should get fair compensation

• Users held responsible for actions

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Types of Forests

• Old-growth (frontier) forests

• Second-growth forests

• Tree farms/plantation

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Managing and Sustaining Forests
Ecological Importance of Forests
Refer to Fig. 11-7 p. 200

• Food webs and energy flow

• Protect soils from erosion

• Local and regional climate

• Numerous habitats and niches

• Air purification

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Managing and Sustaining Forests
Economic Importance of Forests
Refer to Fig. 11-7 p. 200

• Fuelwood

• Lumber

• Paper

• Livestock grazing

• Mineral extraction and recreation

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Forest Management

• Rotation cycle

• Even-aged management

• Uneven-aged management

• Improved diversity

• Sustainable production

• Multiple-use

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Management Strategies Rotation Cycles
Fig. 11-8 p. 201
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Roads Lead to Forest Degradation

• Increased erosion and runoff

• Habitat fragmentation

• Pathways for exotic species

• Accessibility to humans

Fig. 11-9 p. 201
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Harvesting Trees

• Selective cutting

• High-grading

• Shelterwood cutting

• Seed-tree cutting

• Clear-cutting

• Strip cutting

Fig. 11-10e p. 202
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Sustainable Forestry

• Longer rotations

• Selective or strip cutting

• Minimize fragmentation

• Improved road building techniques

• Certify sustainable grown

(See Solutions, Fig. 11-13 p. 205)
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Insect and Pathogen Threats to U.S. Forests

• Sudden oak death

• White pine blister rust

• Pine shoot beetle

• Beech bark disease

• Hemlock woolly adelgid

See Fig. 11-14 p. 207
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Fire

• Surface fires

• Crown fires

Fig. 11-15 p. 208
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Logging in U.S. National Forests

• Provides local jobs

• Provides only 3 of timber

• Increases environmental
• damage

• Hinders recreation income

Fig. 11-16 p. 210
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Tropical Deforestation Consequences

• Rapid and increasing

• Loss of biodiversity

• Loss of resources (e.g., medicines)

• Contributes to global warming

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Tropical Deforestation Causes
Fig. 11-18 p. 212
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Reducing Tropical Deforestation

• Encourage protection of large tracts

• Sustainable tropical agriculture

• Debt-for-nature swaps

• Reduce illegal cutting

• Reducing poverty and population growth

Refer to Fig. 11-19 p. 213
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Managing and Sustaining National Parks

• Inadequate protection

• Often too small to sustain biodiversity

• Invasions by nonnative species

• Too many human visitors

• Traffic jams and air pollution

• Better pay for park staff

Also refer to Fig. 11-29 p. 215
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Establishing, Designing, and Managing Nature
Reserves

• Include moderate to large tracts of land

• Involve government, private sector and citizens

• Biosphere reserves

• Adaptive ecosystem management

• Protect most important areas (hot spots)

• Wilderness areas

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Ecological Restoration

• Restoration

• Rehabilitation

• Remediation

See Individuals Matter p. 214

• Replacement

• Creating artificial ecosystems

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Ecological Restoration Basic Principles

• Mimic nature

• Recreate lost niches

• Rely on pioneer species

• Control nonnative species

• Reconnect small patches