Conservation

Conservation

Types of Conservation

• Inside-habitat conservation
• Examples:
• Land management and protection
• Increasing the biodiversity of protected lands and waters
• Challenges:
• Some areas are too degraded even if they are protected
• Some areas are too small to support native species even if protected
• Outside-habitat conservation
• Examples:
• Zoo's
• Botanical Gardens
• Animal Sanctuaries
• Seed banks
• Challenges:
• Animals may never leave captivity
• NOT a substitute for Inside-habitat conservation

Types of Species in Conservation

Keystone Species

• A single species whose loss would greatly affect the balance of the entire ecosystem
• This species, if lost from the ecosystem, would not be functionally replaced by another
• Often (not always) predators
• Only a few individuals of a predator species can control the distribution of prey species

• The Gray Wolf was eradicated from the Park causing a top-down trophic cascade
• Elk populations increased causing overgrazing
• Overgrazing changed the plant species available to control erosion, water temperatures and plant species available for fish, beavers and birds to use for food and shelterRe-introduction of non-native wolves has decreased Elk populations and restored wetlands

• Elephants eat shrubs and trees and while doing so uproot and them knock over
• Little to no trees allows grasses to grow
• Grasses sustain grazing animals like antelopes, zebras, wildebeests
• The grazing animals sustain predators like lions and hyenas

Umbrella Species

• A single species with a large geographic species range
• Often determine the size of protected areas
• Often the focus of conservation efforts
• Example: The Siberian Tiger

Foundation Species

• Species that create or maintain a habitat
• Example: Coral Reefs and many Tree species

Ecosystem Engineers

• Species that have the ability to change their habitat in addition to creating or maintaining it
• Example: Corals, Trees, Beavers and Invasive species

Indicator Species

• Species that sensitive to environmental changes
• Will signal the health of the ecosystem
• Example: Oysters in Chesapeake Bay, USA

Flagship Species

• "Mascot" species that are charismatic and will help get human by-in to conservation efforts
• Examples:
• The juvenile harp seal was used to campaign against Arctic seal hunting
• The polar bear is used to discuss the effects of climate change
• The giant panda is used as a symbol for endangered species

Ecological Restoration

Goals of Ecological Restoration

• Initiation or acceleration of ecological recovery
• Humans set up the conditions and framework for ecosystems to recover where the natural species do the actual "work"
• Includes but not limited to:
• Removing invasive species
• Reintroducing native species
• Reintroduction of lost ecological functions
• Altering land forms
• Changing waterways
• To restore the historic trajectory of an area
• NOT to restore an area to a historic ideal
• Trying to get an ecosystem to be as close as current un-touched ecosystems
• Restoration is complete based on the type of ecosystem being restored
• Example: restoring a forest ecosystem would take longer than restoring a grassland ecosystem
• NOT a substitute for conservation

Integrating Conservation & Ecological Restoration

• Integrate human activities with protection and restoration
• How can humans benefit from protected/restored lands?
• Have policies and goals at the local, provincial and federal level
• Example: in Canada at the national level there is the "Conservation Authorities Act"