Biodiversity Conservation: Threats and Solutions

Posted on Feb 21, 2025 in Geology

Economic Reasons for Conserving Biodiversity

Raw materials, food, health, and ecosystem stability are all vital economic reasons for conserving biodiversity.

Living Planet Index: Indicates the abundance of species populations. A species is considered endangered when it reaches a critical number, which is the minimum population size needed for recovery.

Causes of Biodiversity Loss

  • Habitat Loss and Degradation (Anthropogenic): Human activities are the primary cause.
  • Habitat Fragmentation: For example, the impact on Jaguar populations.
  • Introduction of Invasive Species: For example, the American Chestnut and the emergence of pathogens.
  • Resource Exploitation: Overuse of resources like Posidonia.
  • Climate Change
  • Natural Disasters:
    • Technological disasters caused by human activities.
    • Natural phenomena. Risk is calculated as: Threat x Vulnerability x Exposure (Vulnerability and Exposure are influenced by human choices).

Environmental Concepts and Theories

  • Gaia Theory: Presents the Earth as a global, self-regulating ecosystem.
  • Natural Resources: Goods provided by nature that humans use.
  • Sources:
    • Renewable: Can be used without exhaustion.
    • Non-renewable: Limited stock, can be depleted (implications include deforestation, population displacement, conflict, and landscape impact).

Land Degradation

  • Physical Degradation: Soil compaction due to livestock and heavy machinery.
  • Chemical Degradation: Salinization, nutrient washing, acidification, and loss of organic matter.

Biodiversity Loss: Climate change contributes to soil degradation. Land cover type influences vulnerability; more structure generally means less vulnerability.

  • Deforestation: Permanent conversion of forest area to other uses.
  • Desertification:
    • Natural process of desert formation.
    • Land degradation in dry regions due to a combination of factors, including human activities.
  • Salinization: Accumulation of salts due to excessive irrigation and evaporation.

Desert formation often leads to increased fires, deforestation for pasture, and intensive farming.

Measures to Prevent Desertification

Conservation and restoration of native forests, reforestation, and sustainable agricultural practices are crucial.

Conservation and the Biosphere

Biosphere: The part of Earth where life thrives.

Waste and Pollution

Pollution: Alteration of an environment’s properties due to disturbances that modify ecosystem characteristics.

Air Pollution

Presence of foreign substances or a higher-than-normal proportion of atmospheric gases.

  • Primary Pollutants: Emitted directly from an identifiable source.
  • Secondary Pollutants: Formed by the reaction of primary pollutants with each other or other atmospheric substances.

Sources: Natural (e.g., volcanoes), anthropogenic (e.g., bacteria, entertainment industries).

  • Smog: Photochemical smog (smoke + fog) occurs in areas with high insolation.
  • Climate Change: Variation of climatic conditions on the planet.
  • Greenhouse Effect: Phenomenon where surface temperature is higher due to certain gases.
  • Ozone Layer: Region of the atmosphere where oxygen reacts with ultraviolet light, resulting in a higher concentration of ozone.
  • Hole in the Ozone Layer: Temporal decrease in ozone concentration over Antarctica during the austral spring.
  • Acid Rain: Phenomenon where nitrogen oxides and sulfur emitted into the atmosphere are deposited in the soil, dissolved in raindrops.
  • Urban Pollution: Effect of air pollution in large cities.

Water Pollution

Pollution of seas and inland water systems occurs through intentional or accidental discharges. Consequences include toxicity, anoxia, oil spills, and eutrophication.

Types of Water Pollution:

  • Primary
  • Diffuse
  • Localized: 86% from industrial, agricultural (fertilizers), urban, and mining sources.

Urban Waste

Waste generated within a city. Persistence refers to the ability of chemicals to remain in the environment, while volatility refers to their capacity for displacement.

Energy Pollution

  • Light Pollution: Effect of artificial light scattering that reduces the darkness of the night sky.
  • Noise Pollution: Increased noise levels.
  • Radioactive Pollution: Increased emissions due to nuclear energy exploitation.