PALM PLANET Can we have tropical forests and our palm oil too?

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 12 BIODIVERSITY PALM PLANET Can we have tropical forests and our palm oil too?

2 12 PALM PLANET Can we have tropical forests and our palm oil too? Biodiversity on our planet is our greatest asset. Within this diverse collection of plants, animals, and other organisms, we have the power to provide food for a rapidly growing population, find cures for disease, and insure our economic survival. There are many compelling reasons to protect species. Core Message

3 12 PALM PLANET Can we have tropical forests and our palm oil too? Case study: Palm oil is extracted from fruits and seeds of the Oil Palm, and it makes up about 45% of the planet s edible oil production. About half of all packaged food and household products in the United States contain palm oil. About 95% of all that palm oil comes from Southeast Asia in particular, from Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

4 12 PALM PLANET Can we have tropical forests and our palm oil too? Picture of orangutans Case study: Since the early 1990s, more than 20 million acres of rain forest (about the size of Maine) have been cleared in Southeast Asia for oil palm plantations. The environmental costs: o Regional and global climate change o Soil erosion, air and water pollution, flooding o Loss of half of rain forest species overall o Loss of the 90% of mammals o Loss and displacement of 95% of orangutans

5 12 Biodiversity provides a wide range of essential goods and services Bacteria 7,643 species known Roundworms 25,000 Vertebrates 61,995 Fungi 98,998 Arachnids 102,248 The biodiversity (variety of life) on Earth is tremendous, but we have identified only a fraction of the species that exist, about 1.9 million species. The estimates of the total number ranges from 3 to 100 million species. Insects make up the largest group, but we know much more about smaller groups such as plants and vertebrates.

6 12 Biodiversity provides a wide range of essential goods and services Plants 310,129 species known, 390,800 estimated Insects 1 million species known, 5 million estimated The biodiversity (variety of life) on Earth is tremendous, but we have identified only a fraction of the species that exist, about 1.9 million species. The estimates of the total number ranges from 3 to 100 million species. Insects make up the largest group, but we know much more about smaller groups such as plants and vertebrates.

7 12 Biodiversity provides a wide range of essential goods and services

8 12 Biodiversity provides a wide range of essential goods and services Tropical regions around the world hold extremely high concentrations and varieties of plants and animals. The ecosystems of tropical forests and tropical coral reefs are the most biodiverse in the world: 1-hectare plot in the Amazonian rain forest contains 300 tree species, whereas the same area in Canada has 20 species.

9 Biodiversity benefits humans and other species With diversity comes ecosystem services essential ecological processes that make life on Earth possible. Beyond providing goods, nature is a machine supporting everything we do, from providing the oxygen we need for survival to cleaning up our waste with filtering mechanisms. Photosynthesis Converting light energy to the chemical energy that can be stored and used by living organisms. Nutrient cycling Using the organic and inorganic materials from dead and decomposing organisms to support new life. Population control Competition and predation maintain a balance of organisms while helping maintain diversity. Pollination Insects, birds, mammals, and other organisms provide a mechanism for distribution of critical genetic diversity and generation of grasses, herbs, and other plants.

10 Biodiversity benefits humans and other species Annual value of ecosystem services (instrumental value) is estimated to be $44 trillion, twice the world s GDP. But it s hard to put a monetary value on living organisms, like orangutans, that have an inherent right to exist, intrinsic value. Natural spaces and nature s services also provide cultural, economic, and social value. $44,000,000,000,000

11 Biodiversity includes variety at the individual, species, and ecosystem levels Iconogr Three levels of diversity: 1. Genetic diversity: the heritable variation among individuals of a single population or within the species as a whole. 2. Species diversity: the variety of species, including how many are present (richness) and their abundance relative to each other (evenness). 3. Ecological diversity: the variety within an ecosystem s structure, including many communities, habitats, niches, and trophic levels. These levels enhance the ability of an ecosystem to function as well as increase an ecosystem s ability to adapt to changing conditions.

12 Biodiversity hotspots Some ecosystems have naturally higher species diversity. This areas often have ecological diversity variety of habitats, niches, and ecological communities in an ecosystem. Tropical forests (equatorial regions) tend to have high ecological and species diversity. Endemic species specially adapted to that locale and naturally found nowhere else on Earth.

13 Endemism increases with isolation, as does extinction risk Isolated populations are especially vulnerable to detrimental environmental changes because they cannot freely breed with other populations and thereby increase their genetic diversity and chances of survival. Infogr For this reason, the number of unique species (the degree of endemism) generally increases with isolation.

14 Endemism increases with isolation, as does extinction risk On the Hawaiian Islands, almost 3,800 km from the nearest mainland, 90% of native species are endemic. Their isolation and high endemism make remote islands particularly vulnerable to species loss, especially in the face of rapid environmental change.

15 Biodiversity faces several serious threats Human impact, especially habitat destruction and fragmentation, is a major threat to biodiversity, endangering ecosystems and the species (including humans) that depend on the ecosystem services these areas provide. Our palm oil obsession has contributed to the number one cause of species endangerment: habitat destruction. Other drivers include urban and suburban development, resource extraction, and large water projects such as dams.

16 Biodiversity faces several serious threats In the tropics, deforestation for agricultural purposes is currently the leading cause of habitat destruction. Species that become extinct locally but not everywhere are said to be extirpated. Simple ecological communities are much more affected by a single loss. But even complex ecosystems can be imperiled if too many members are lost, especially a keystone species. Oil palm plantations have very low biodiversity, which means they are unable to provide the ecosystem services normally provided by the large, unfragmented forests they replace.

17 Biodiversity faces several serious threats Detrimental impacts of habitat destruction can also come from the loss of even part of a larger habitat, known as habitat fragmentation. Deforestation that leaves patches of forest may not be suitable for species that need large expanses of forest. Even a narrow or little-used road may isolate individuals from the other parts of their population. Wildlife corridors that connect fragmented habitats can be effective conservation tools.

18 Sustainable palm oil may protect biodiversity Effective biodiversity protection programs must address the needs of humans as well as the ecosystems and species that are in danger.

19 Sustainable palm oil may protect biodiversity Palm oil video

20 Sustainable palm oil may protect biodiversity There are ways to produce palm oil sustainably. Table 12.1: Addressing trade-offs

21 Chapter 13 Preserving Biodiversity There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity

22 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity Conservation biology is the science of preserving biodiversity. Conservation biologists focus on protecting individual species and maintaining or restoring entire ecosystems. They must understand how ecosystems work and their threats. Identifying keystone and indicator species is an important part of that. - introduced species

23 Threats to biodiversity can lead to extinction Extinction end of an organism or group of organisms Extirpated locally extinct The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.* These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. Low estimate of 2 million species on planet = 200-2,000 extinctions per year! High estimate of 100 million species on planet = 10, ,000 extinctions per year!

24 There are multiple approaches to species conservation Single species conservation- single out wellknown animals and focus on the specific threats it faces. Goal- Increase population size and reintroduces individuals to the wide. Captive breeding Field conservation Reintroduction programs Ecosystem conservation- identifying entire ecosystems-often biodiversity hotspots- that are at risk and restoring or rehabilitating them. Goal- return ecosystems to their original states Reforestation, remove non-natives Restore river flow Remediate (clean up pollution) Benefits all species existing there

25 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity Must address the needs of humans as well as ecosystems and species that are in danger. Tradeoffs!

26 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity

27 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity

28 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity

29 There are many different ways to protect and enhance biodiversity Need to consider needs of people living in the area! Debt for nature swaps - forgive debt in exchange for conservation or environmental policy Ecotourism supports local economies, focus on nonconsumptive use of resources