Biodiversity, Ecosystem Func3oning, & Conserva3on

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1 Biodiversity, Ecosystem Func3oning, & Conserva3on Shahid Naeem Department of Ecology, Evolu3on, and Environmental Biology Columbia University in the City of New York

2 Or Why plants, animals, and microorganisms are integral to sustainable development. Shahid Naeem Department of Ecology, Evolu3on, and Environmental Biology Columbia University in the City of New York

3 Sustainable Development: Entering its third decade. Impact?

4 Joseph Priestly ( )

5 Priestly s Bell Jar (modified)

6 Joseph Priestly it is: "highly probable, that the injury which is continually done to the atmosphere by the respiration of such a number of animals, and the putrefaction of such masses of both vegetable and animal matter, is, in part at least, repaired by the vegetable creation Gorham, E Biogeochemistry

7 Joseph Priestly it seems to be extremely probable that the putrid effluvium [i.e., whatever it is that extinguishes candles and mice] is in some measure extracted from the air, by means of the leaves of plants, and therefore that they render the remainder more fit for respiration" Gorham, E Biogeochemistry

8 Benjamin Franklin to Priestly "That the vegetable creation should restore the air which is spoiled by the animal part of it, looks like a rational system...." Gorham, E Biogeochemistry

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11 x o b n i O 2 C Time (seconds) Plant spp

12 Nature, 443: (2006) our finding that key aspects of ecosystem functioning decline consistently with the average species loss suggests that a precautionary approach to preserving as much biodiversity as possible is warranted.

13 Worm et al., Science 314, 787 (2006) (Ecosystem services include fisheries, flood control, nursery habitat, water filtra3on, and waste detoxifica3on.)

14 Positive relationships between diversity and ecosystem functions and services were found using experimental and correlative approaches along trajectories of diversity loss and recovery. Our data highlight the societal consequences of an ongoing erosion of diversity that appears to be accelerating on a global scale. This trend is of serious concern because it projects the global collapse of all taxa currently fished by the mid 21st century (based on the extrapolation of regression in Fig. 3A to 100% in the year 2048). Worm et al. Science 314, 787 (2006)

15 Solan et al Quantifying Biogenic Mixing Depth: Sediment Profile Imaging

16 Biogenic Mixing Depth Margaretta Leverets

17 Solan, M., B. J. Cardinale, A. L. Downing, K. A. M. Engelhardt, J. L. Ruesink, and D. S. Srivastava Ex3nc3on and ecosystem func3on in the marine benthos. Science 306:

18 Bunker, D. E., F. DeClerck, J. C. Bradford, R. K. Colwell, I. Perfecto, O. L. Phillips, M. Sankaran, and S. Naeem Species Loss and Aboveground Carbon Storage in a Tropical Forest. Science 310:

19 McIntyre, P. B., L. E. Jones, A. S. Flecker, and M. J. Vanni Fish ex3nc3ons alter nutrient recycling in tropical freshwaters. PNAS 104:

20 Duraiappah and Naeem (co chairs) 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Biodiversity Synthesis Report. Island Press

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26 ATMOSPHERE L Pests Export Sheep Ox Livestock Harvest Humans H Parasites Goat Caile Livestock consump3on Vegeta3on Harvest Export Weeds Trees Crops Wild V Pests Uptake Fixa3on Worm Bact. Fungi Nem Ammendment (Fer3lizer, manure) Leaching Fish Zoo Phyto Bact Water breeding Pests

27 ATMOSPHERE Tse tse, KENYA, SAURI Export Caile Sheep and Goats Poultry Livestock Harvest Humans H Parasites Livestock consump3on Beans Maize Vegeta3on Harvest Export Others Osama Agroforestry Weeds Uptake Fixa3on Worms Bact. Fungi Nem Amendment (Fer3lizer, manure) Leaching Fish Zoo Phyto Bact Mosquitoes,

28 Holdren (2008) Three core responsibili3es of society 1. Economic condi3ons and processes, such as produc3on, employment, income, wealth, markets, trade, and the technologies that facilitate all of these; 2. Sociopoli3cal condi3ons and processes, such as na3onal and personal security, liberty, jus3ce, the rule of law, educa3on, health care, the pursuit of science and the arts, and other aspects of civil society and culture; and 3. Environmental condi4ons and processes, including our planet s air, water, soils, mineral resources, biota, and climate, and all of the natural and anthropogenic processes that affect them.

29 Holdren (2008) Shorpalls Persistent shorpalls in the pursuit of sustainable well being are evident across a range of dimensions of the human condi3on, including: Poverty Preventable disease Impoverishment of the environment, meaning progressive erosion of the environmental underpinnings of well being in the quali3es of air, water, soil, biota, and climate Pervasiveness of organized violence Oppression of human rights Wastage of human poten3al, resul3ng from all of the foregoing and the despair and apathy that accompany them, from shorpalls in educa3on, and from the loss of cultural diversity.

30 Holdren (2008) Solu3ons What is needed from S&T in rela3on to the intensifying compe33on for land, water, and biota? We need, for reasons both purely scien3fic and as a basis for sensible ecosystem management, a large increase in ecological research focused on the rela3ons linking biodiversity and other aspects of ecosystem condi3on with ecosystem func3on and services; and we need a beier understanding of what those services do and could deliver in support of human well being, as well as beier ways to quan3fy their value for incorpora3on into the market and nonmarket processes shaping the future of ecosystems.

31 Human Alloca3on to Forms of Capital 24 m sediment My % EP 76.2% NPP 229 gcm 2 y m sediment My % EP 23.8% NPP 605 gcm 2 y 1

32 Manmade Capital and Natural Capital are Complementary, not Subs3tutable

33 Take home messages Human wellbeing is the inextricably 3ed to the balance between resource and energy alloca3ons to natural, manmade, and human capital Sustainable development is not sustainable if it does not include the natural world The science of ecology (biology + physics + chemistry) is the founda3on for sustainable development Conserva3on = insurance Economics based on ecosystem services provides the means for effec3ve integra3ve sustainable development policy, planning, and management