Conservation Biology - University of Washington保护生物学-华盛顿大学.pptVIP

Pluie, the Wandering Wolf Epic Journey Conservation Biology Definition History Connections Biodiversity threats Current Status Links to previous course topics Definition … pursuit of a coherent goal: the protection and perpetuation of the Earth’s biological diversity. A mission-oriented, crisis-driven discipline comprising both pure and applied science Meine et al. 2006 …not defined by a discipline but by its goal — to halt or repair the undeniable, massive damage that is being done to ecosystems, species, and the relationships of humans to the environment. Ehrenfeld 1992 Critique Clearly western, North American Juxtaposition of ‘wild areas’ and trashed areas. …effort by “an elite group of biologists” who “[aimed] to change science, conservation, cultural habits, human values, our ideas about nature, and ultimately, nature itself.” Takacs 1996 Not without controversy I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist the best one is written not with a pen, but an axe. -- Aldo Leopold Example: what should be done with forests in the west? Is the following statement true or false: Conservation biology does acknowledge the fact that it is a “value-laden” field. True False History Realization: Wallace, Marsh Progressive Era (utilitarian [Pinchot] vs. preservationist [Muir]) Appreciation of the biota as a whole - biocentric (vs. anthropocentric view) Review Andrew Light’s lecture. Laws of the early 70s Emergence of Conservation Biology Focus on Biodiversity Diversity - the number of different items and their relative frequency. Biodiversity - number and variety of species, ecological systems, and the genetic variability they contain. Foundation - 1 Population biology: a study of biological populations of organisms, especially in terms of biodiversity, evolution, and environmental biology. Island Biogeography: Number of species present = f(rate of immigration rate of extinction) Concept of Umbrella Species Foundation - 2 The worst thing that can h