CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

A BRIEF INTRO

FERNANDO LIMA

What is this?

• In 1985 , Michael Soulé labelled Conservation Biology as “Crisis Discipline” ;

• The Scientific Community answer to the biodiversity crisis.

Guide Priciples

• Groom, Meffe & Carroll, 2006– Evolutionary change

• The axis-base

– Dynamic Ecology

• Ecological world is dynamic and out of balance

– Human Presence

• Shall be included in all conservation plans

Historic

Features

• Crisis Discipline:

– Action without complete knowledgement;

– To work with available information;

– Intuition and creativity;

– Pressure for immediate action;

Features

• Interdisciplinary Science:

– Wide and ecletic;

– Basic and applied science;

– Filosophy;

– Connection men-nature

Features

• Inexact Science

– Complex ecological systems;

– Infinity number of variables;

– Based on probabilities;

– Stochastic and random events;

Features

• Evolutionary Scale of Time

– Long term viability;

– Functional and structural diversity;

– Allow evolutionary processes to continue.

Features

• Eternal vigilance

– Things shall - and in fact – change;

– Present “protected” areas can be explored in the future;

Guiding Principles

• 1. Evolutionary Change

– Evolution is the axis base that unites Biology:

“Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution”

Theodosius Dobzhansky, 1973

• 2. Dynamic Ecology

– Ecological world is dynamic and out of balance.

“The forest is no glen of idylls, of sportive dryads, nymphs and elves. These tree creatures are engaged in titanic, slow- motion struggles that we short-lived, frenetic humans cannot even sense. Far above our heads they batter each other for space and sunlight, grasp each other’s branches, settle their seeds in the crotches of each other’s trunks, scrape and penetrate each other’s bark, engulf and strangle each other.”

Warren Dean

Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles• 3. Human Presence

– Human presence should be included in all conservation plans.

– “Modern myth of untouched nature”

What do we want to conserve?

• Biodiversity

– Genetic Diversity;

– Species Diversity;

– Ecosystem Diversity (landscape);

• Cultures

Cultural diversity

How much does it cost?

• How much are nature’s services worth?

– Ecosystem services:

– US$ 33000000000000.00

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Biodiversity loss

• Extinction

– Complete disappearance of all individuals of a species:

• Global extinction;

• Local extinction;

• Ecological extinction

Natural extinctionsLarge mammals and birds.

Dinosaurs, many marine species.

35% of animal families.

50% of animal families.

30% of animal families.

50% of animal families.

0.01 MYA

65 MYA

180 MYA

250 MYA

345 MYA

500 MYA

Pleistocene

Cretaceous

Triassic

Permian

Devonian

Ordovician

Man-induced extinctions

Man-induced extinctions

• The evil quartet (Diamond, 1984)

– Overkill;

– Habitat destruction/fragmentation;

– Introducted species;

– Chains of extinctions.

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

– 1965

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

– 1965

– 1978

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

– 1965

– 1978

– 1984

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

– 1965

– 1978

– 1984

– 1993

Habitat fragmentation– 1500

– 1956

– 1965

– 1978

– 1984

– 1993

– 2003

Habitat fragmentation

• Models of development in the Amazon

Optimistic Nonoptimistic

This?

Or this?

Beyond the cliché...

Why should we spent so much money and efforts trying to save species when

are so much people dying by starvation around the world???

???

Beyond the cliché...

Robinho “passport” to Real Madrid:

US$ 30.000.000,00

Ronaldo FenômenoAnnual salary plus bonus: $8.1 million

Other income: $14 million

US$ 22.100.000,00

Bruce Willis

US$ 100.000.000,00

The question is:

Will unsustainable ways of consume and use of resources solve the human problems?

???

Why Biodiversity is Crucial?• Provides food, construction material, raw material for industry,

medicine.

• Provides the basis for all improvements to domesticated plants and animals.

• Maintains ecosystem functions, including evolutionary processes.

• Stores and cycles nutrients essential for life, e.g. carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

• Absorbs and breaks down pollutants.

• Recharges groundwater, protects catchment basins and buffers extreme water conditions.

• Produces soil and protects it from excessive erosion.

THANK YOU