Bài giảng history of conservation biology

BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSERVATION History of wildlife conservation • In the 1600’s, when the Europeans arrived, wildlife was plentiful and was able to meet the needs of the people • Needs turned into wants, which led to exploitation—the use of natural resources for profit • By the 1800’s, people began to see a need for conservation of our natural resources Important Dates in Conservation • Morrill Act of 1862 – Established colleges to teach agriculture and conservation – Made “land grant universities” such as Virginia Tech – Named for Vermont Congressman Justin Morrill Important Dates in Conservation • 1872 Yellowstone National Park formed – First national park in the world – Its purpose was to preserve the natural resources of the area – Located in Idaho, Montana & Wyoming – 3,472 sq miles – 2,221,773 sq acres Important Dates in Conservation • 1901, the great hunter and outdoorsman, Theodore Roosevelt, became president • Used the bully pulpit to encourage protection of natural resources • Began the process of setting aside federal land for protection Several federal agencies were established for the management of natural resources: National Forest System – 1891 Division of Forestry of USDA – 1898 United States Bureau of Reclamation - 1902 United States National Wildlife Refuge system – 1903 United States Forest Service – 1905 What are the national policies that impact wildlife conservation? • Forest Service – Part of the USDA that manages 156 forests covering 191 million acres of forests and grassland What are the national policies that impact wildlife conservation? • 1966 Wildlife Refuge System – A system of wildlife refuges across the United States – A part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service What are the national policies that impact wildlife conservation? • 1973 Endangered Species Act – Identifies and manages rare, threatened and endangered species • Threatened-population is in danger of becoming endangered • Endangered-population is in danger of becoming extinct • Prevents activities that can jeopardize listed species Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • John James Audubon (1785–1851) – Watched and studied birds – Published a book about his bird studies – 1905 the National Audubon Society was formed Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • John Muir (1838–1914) – Partly responsible for the development of Yellowstone and Sequoia National Parks – Encouraged President Roosevelt to establish these parks – Started the Sierra Club – California forest named after him Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) – Known as the “Father of the Conservation Movement” – Made conservation an important part of his political role Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Aldo Leopold (1886–1948) – Applied ecology to wildlife • Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment – Wrote a book called Game Management that was used to help further educate wildlife biologists Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946) – One of the first leaders of what is now the U.S Forest Service – Wrote a book called The Fight for Conservation – His efforts focused on the conservation of forests Conservation organizations in the world Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Est 1895 Fauna and Flora International (FFI) Est 1903 Birdlife International Est 1922 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Est 1948 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Est 1961 Conservation International (CI) Est 1987 Conservation efforts in Vietnam Source: Sterling et al., 2006 Key international agreements and national legislation How was Conservation Biology born? • Conservation Biology was a response of scientists to this biodiversity Crisis • It was formalized in the 1980’s, but has a very long history Conservation Biology is: a synthetic field that applies science & other academic fields to the conservation of biodiversity fields include: ecology, biogeography, genetics, economics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy Conservation Biology is: a “crisis discipline” an urgent reaction by the scientific community to the crisis of biodiversity loss Reality creates many problems for conservation biology – why? (e.g., reactive versus proactive science, weak science) Guiding Principles Conservation Biology (3 principles) (1) Evolutionary Framework (as for all of biology) (2) Ecological “Theatre” is Dynamic and Nonequilibrial (3) A Human Presence Must be Acknowledged Conservation Biology A Human Presence Must be Acknowledged • conservation biology without consideration of humanswill have minimal impact • humans have been an integral part of the earth’s biodiversity for 10,000’s of years • indigenous peoples have a history of interaction with other organisms in areas of conservation interest Why is Conservation Biology difficult? • politically- and economically-charged issues • demand for rapid, unambiguous answers • merges pure science with politics, social conflict • very difficult situations to conduct strong science The “Precautionary Principle” • we must acknowledge the scientific uncertainty inherent in managing natural systems • it is usually easier to prevent environmental damage than to repair it later [...]... Presence Must be Acknowledged Conservation Biology A Human Presence Must be Acknowledged • conservation biology without consideration of humanswill have minimal impact • humans have been an integral part of the earth’s biodiversity for 10,000’s of years • indigenous peoples have a history of interaction with other organisms in areas of conservation interest Why is Conservation Biology difficult? • politically-... How was Conservation Biology born? • Conservation Biology was a response of scientists to this biodiversity Crisis • It was formalized in the 1980’s, but has a very long history Conservation Biology is: a synthetic field that applies science & other academic fields to the conservation of biodiversity fields include: ecology, biogeography, genetics, economics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy Conservation. .. The Fight for Conservation – His efforts focused on the conservation of forests Conservation organizations in the world Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Est 1895 Fauna and Flora International (FFI) Est 1903 Birdlife International Est 1922 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Est 1948 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Est 1961 Conservation International (CI) Est 1987 Conservation efforts... anthropology, philosophy Conservation Biology is: a “crisis discipline” an urgent reaction by the scientific community to the crisis of biodiversity loss Reality creates many problems for conservation biology – why? (e.g., reactive versus proactive science, weak science) Guiding Principles Conservation Biology (3 principles) (1) Evolutionary Framework (as for all of biology) (2) Ecological “Theatre” is... in Wildlife Conservation • John Muir (1838–1914) – Partly responsible for the development of Yellowstone and Sequoia National Parks – Encouraged President Roosevelt to establish these parks – Started the Sierra Club – California forest named after him Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) – Known as the “Father of the Conservation Movement” – Made conservation. .. part of his political role Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Aldo Leopold (1886–1948) – Applied ecology to wildlife • Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment – Wrote a book called Game Management that was used to help further educate wildlife biologists Historical People in Wildlife Conservation • Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946) – One of the first leaders of what