Sustainable Wildlife Management and Biodiversity of Wildlife

 Biodiversity and Sustainability of wildlife

Outline:

• What is biodiversity?

• What is sustainability?

• How does biodiversity contribute to sustainability?

1: Biodiversity :

 The term “biodiversity” is a contraction of the phrase “biological diversity”.

• Biodiversity means the richness and variety of life - of genes, species and ecosystems.

• Biodiversity maintains the health of the earth and its people.

• It provides us with food and medicine and contributes to our economy.

• It tells us a lot about the health of the biosphere.

• The greater the variety of species, the healthier the biosphere.

• The more links in a food web, the more stable it is.

For example,

 We use plants and animals for food and medicine and we can harvest plants and animals and

sell them to make money.

2: Sustainability:

• The ability to maintain ecological processes over long periods of time.

• Sustainability of an ecosystem is the ability of that ecosystem to maintain its structure and

    Function over time in the face of external stress.

• It is strongly linked to ecosystem health.

• The more sustainable an ecosystem is, the healthier it is because it is able to “deal” with     external stress better (i.e. limiting factors).

So, if an ecosystem is able to maintain its structure and function over time in the face of

External stress, it is said to be sustainable.

Sustainability is an indicator of ecosystem health. The more sustainable an ecosystem is,

The healthier it is because it is able to deal with external stress better.

Q: What is “external stress” ?

ANS: Human activities and natural disasters such as deforestation, tornadoes, floods, pollution,

Etc. are external stresses.

 

3: Biodiversity and Sustainability:

• The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to the sustainability of that ecosystem.

• Higher/more biodiversity = more sustainable.

• Lower/less biodiversity = less sustainable.

• High biodiversity in an ecosystem means that there is a great variety of genes and species in

   that ecosystem.

• A great variety of genes and species means that the ecosystem is better able to carry out

   natural processes in the face of external stress.

• Thus, the ecosystem is more sustainable. Biodiversity and Sustainability

Important notes:

Ø  A great variety of genes and species means that the ecosystem is better able to carry out

Ø  Natural processes (such as biogeochemical cycles, population dynamics, evolution,

             Succession, etc.) in the face of external stress.

Ø  The ecosystem will have more genes and species to help it carry out these processes. For example, there will be more species and more links in food webs, more plants to help with the biogeochemical cycles and more genes available for succession and evolution.

Ø   The more sustainable an ecosystem is, the better it is for the environment and for people.

Ø   People use ecosystems as sources of food, medicine and economy.

Ø  Thus, it is in everyone’s best interest to increase the sustainability of ecosystems.

 

Ø  The more sustainable an ecosystem is the better it is for the environment and for people.

Ø  This is because we need ecosystems to survive - we need nutrients, food, medicine and

             money to survive and ecosystems provide us with all of these things. So, it is in

              everyone’s best interest to increase the sustainability of ecosystems.

.

Wild life and biodiversity:

Ø   Biodiversity or biological diversity is defined as: “The variability among living organisms from all sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems.

Ø    The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature on 5 June 1992 during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro.

Ø   The Convention on Biological Diversity contd The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed by Pakistan on 5 June 1992, and was ratified by the Cabinet on July 26 1994. Through the Convention, Pakistan and other signatory countries are involved in an international partnership to help halt the global loss of biological diversity.

Ø    General commitments of Convention

             • Take general measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;

             • Identify and monitor components of biological diversity, and activities that have an     adverse effect on biological diversity;

             • Adopt measures for in-situ conservation, including a system of protected areas, the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas,

Ø    Forest Management and Wildlife is an integral part of the forest ecosystem. While managing the forested land, administrative considerations have prevailed on the ecosystem approach in Pakistan. Consequently, the Wildlife Department has been separated from the Forest Department in the provinces of Punjab, KPK , Sindh and Azad Kashmir, while in Baluchistan and the Northern Areas these are managed by a wildlife wing under the forest department.

Ø    Wild Life Management  includes all vertebrates except fish, domesticated animals and human beings. Other broader definitions of wildlife include all plants and animals in wild ecosystems. Wildlife management is therefore concerned with the abundance and distribution of vertebrate species. Wildlife managers must also manage habitats, including vegetation and invertebrates which are food for, or causes of disease to wildlife.

 

Wildlife and Sustainability:

Ø  Most of us who live on the island enjoy watching wildlife, whether it's an alligator or turtles basking, a bald eagle fishing or a group of deer wandering in the dunes.

Ø  All of the species of plants and animals on Hilton Head Island, however, are part of the biodiversity and ecosystems here, and play major roles in the overall health of the island.

Ø  One of the things we can do to help wildlife is to preserve their habitat when we build a house Now, most owners recognize the value of trees in saving energy by providing shade and blocking wind, providing beauty and adding to the value of the property. But many of us still don't realize the importance of the other vertical layers to both wildlife and the environment.

 

Actions you can take at home to be a good wildlife steward:

Ø  Preserve or create a backyard habitat. Save as many native plants as you can when building or landscaping. Non-native plants often cannot replace our native plants for wildlife food or shelter.

Ø  If you have a yard that has been completely cleared, look at nearby native areas and plant natives similar to those you see.

Ø  Have a source of drinking water for wildlife, such as a bird bath or a basin on the ground. Since we live on a barrier island that often experiences droughts, a source of drinking water is critical year-round.

Ø  Have native plants that are food sources for wildlife, such as trumpet vine or cross vine for nectar for hummingbirds; live oaks, water oaks and laurel oaks for acorns for deer, turkey and other birds; yellow and blue flowered plants for honeybees; common milkweed, purple coneflower and butterfly bush for butterflies; passion flower for honeybees and as host plants for zebra long wing butterfly caterpillars; saw palms for berries for birds, deer and other mammals, etc.

Ø  Look for "greener" ways of dealing with pests, such as integrated pest management rather than pesticides to protect the environment, your family and our wildlife

.

Ø  When driving, be on the lookout for wildlife along the road edges or crossing the roadway. Many of our native mammals are especially active at dusk, dawn and nighttime; look for eye shine along the roadways and slow down