AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY:BIODIVERSITY:

INTERACTIONS AT THE INTERACTIONS AT THE BOUNDARIESBOUNDARIES

ByByJeffrey A. McNeelyJeffrey A. McNeely

Chief ScientistChief ScientistIUCN-The World Conservation UnionIUCN-The World Conservation Union

email: email: jam@hq.iucn.orgjam@hq.iucn.org

The Sperling Biodiversity LectureThe Sperling Biodiversity LectureSalt Lake City, 6-8 November 2005Salt Lake City, 6-8 November 2005

A post-petroleum future?A post-petroleum future?

What are the causes of decline and loss?What are the causes of decline and loss?Habitat destruction and associated degradation and fragmentationHabitat destruction and associated degradation and fragmentation

New ways of thinking New ways of thinking Ecosystem Services: the benefits people Ecosystem Services: the benefits people

obtain from ecosystemsobtain from ecosystems

RegulatingBenefits obtained from regulation of

ecosystem processes

• climate regulation• disease regulation

• flood regulation

ProvisioningGoods produced or

provided by ecosystems

• food • fresh water• fuel wood

• genetic resources

CulturalNon-material benefits

from ecosystems

• spiritual • recreational

• aesthetic• inspirational• educational

SupportingServices necessary for production of other ecosystem services

• Soil formation• Nutrient cycling

• Primary production

Linkages among Biodiversity, Linkages among Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Ecosystem Services, and

Human Well-BeingHuman Well-Being

• IUCN Photo library

IUCN Photo Library © Jim Thorsell

IUCN Photo Library © Jim Thorsell

IUCN Photo Library © Jim Thorsell

Wilderness may be the only hope for the world’s Wilderness may be the only hope for the world’s large predators, essential elements of biodiversitylarge predators, essential elements of biodiversity

Wilderness also Wilderness also offers habitat for offers habitat for wild relatives of wild relatives of domestic plants domestic plants

and animalsand animals

The main threats to biodiversityThe main threats to biodiversity

Biodiversity will help farmers adapt Biodiversity will help farmers adapt to climate changeto climate change

SOILS

One of last great frontiers in biological

research

Soil biodiversity: Soil biodiversity: contribution to contribution to ecosystem servicesecosystem services– Nutrient cyclingNutrient cycling– Mites & earthwormsMites & earthworms

Vulnerability of soil Vulnerability of soil biodiversity & servicesbiodiversity & services

Optimizing soil Optimizing soil biodiversity for human biodiversity for human well-beingwell-being

Photos: Norton, Bolte

Draft Tree of

Life Science: 13 June 2003

Taxa in Soil

Bacteria

No human eye has ever blinked at them through a microscope, and most human minds have never spent a moment reflecting on them. Yet the sobering fact is: they don’t need us, but we need them (Wilson

1987).

Photos: Norton, Ochoa

PRIMARY PRODUCERS

TREES SHRUBS GRASSES GROUND COVER ETC.

SERVICE PROVIDERS•DECOMPOSERS

•ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS

•ELEMENTAL TRANSFORMERS PRIMARY REGULATORS•POLLINATORS (90% of plants)•HERBIVORES •PARASITES•MICRO-SYMBIONTS

SECONDARY REGULATORSHYPER-PARASITES PREDATORS

AB

OV

E-G

RO

UN

D –

BE

LOW

-GR

OU

ND

Source: Swift et al. 2004; van der Heijden et al. 1998; De Deyn et al. 2003

Soil biota play some role in every ecosystem service with a biological component (Wardle et al. 2004)

Ecosystem Activities

Soil formation

Source: Kroetsch; Hendrix & Bohlen 2002; Lee 1985; Lavelle

EARTHWORMS:•Up to 1000/m2

•Process up to 10 tonnes of soil /ha/ yr.

Plant production

Nutrient cycling

Water movement

Sheikalmudi Tea plantationTamil Nadu

Vermiculture beds

Source: Senapati et al. 2003; Anderson 2004; World Soil Resources Report 2003

Biological Management of Soil Ecosystems

•Lower fossil fuel input

•Enhanced water storage

•Soil biodiversity maintained

•Biocontrol maintained

•Pathogens & parasites reduced

•Nutrients maintained in soil

Soil Health

Water Quality

Ecosystem Health

SoilBiodiversity

Human Health

ProductionSafe food

Source: Fox & Macdonald 2003; World Soil Resources Report 2003, Wheeler et al. 2004

Soil Biodiversity Initiative

GEF-UNEPproject

below-ground biodiversity

Biological Diversity & Ecosystem

Function in Soils

Taxonomy as large-scale International

science

Geospatial frameworks

Molecular &morphological

tools

SCOPE

Animals of

many kinds live

in or on the

surface of soils

& sediments

10 tenets of soil ecologyFrom Wall et al., 2004

Soils and Sediments are Not Only Habitats for Microbes

Slide courtesy of Decaëns et al., in press; Granval 1988; Fiers 1997

65 BIRD species- 27 threatened- 63 protected

17 MAMMAL species- 6 threatened- 11 protected

19 batracian species- 18 threatened- 19 protected

Many INVERTEBRATE species(e.g. > 100 Carabidae sp.)

13 REPTILE species- 13 threatened- 13 protected

Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for vertebrates, invertebrates, protozoa and microbes Above and belowsurface.

Services: PROVISION OF NUTRIENTS TO FOODWEBS

EARTHWORMS & Compost

Primack 2000IBOY group;Courtesy of

Decaëns et al.in press

Fishing baitFood for animals

Manure piles forcompost production

Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for animals above-surface. Services: Provision of economic base

• More than 2000 invertebrate species• 32 Amazonian ethnic groups consume

>100 soil invertebrate species• High nutritional value

Ramos-Elorduy 1997, Paoletti 2000, 2002; Courtesy of Decaëns et al. in press

Edible ants (Atta sp.) Fire smoked

Soil and Sediment Biodiversity: Food sources for humans. Services: Provision of economic base

R2= 0.69*

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7Species richness

Intensification of habitat change

0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70

What happens when soils and sediment and organisms are damaged?

Change in habitat above - decreases animal diversity below.

Courtesy of Decaëns et al., in press; Decaëns & Jiménez, 2002

Soils

FreshwaterSediments

Soils

Marine Sediments

Lake

Ocean

Groundwater

Soils and Sediments

Wall, 2004

Soils and sediments are not isolated. The belowsurface foodwebs are linked.