The document discusses the importance of biodiversity and the major threat posed by human activities. It defines biodiversity as the variety of species within ecosystems and genetics. Biodiversity is important for ecological stability, medicine, agriculture, and more. However, human impacts like habitat loss from deforestation and fragmentation are major drivers of species extinction. Deforestation specifically removes forests, reduces biodiversity, and damages the environment. Urgent action is needed to protect biodiversity hotspots and promote conservation.

1. Human Destruction
of Biodiversity
Kate Foley

2. Outline
• Importance of biodiversity
• Human impacts
• Economic value of biodiversity
• Impacts of deforestation on biodiversity
• Extinction of species

3. What is Biodiversity?
• Variety of different species within a giving
ecosystem, biome, or entire planet.

4. What is Biodiversity?
• The number of species of plants, animals, and
microorganisms, the enormous diversity of
genes in these species, the different
ecosystems on the planet such as deserts,
rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a
biologically diverse Earth.
• conservation and sustainable development
strategies

5. Diversity
• Species Diversity- Number of different species and
their relative abundance in a given area, related to
species richness.
• Ecosystem Diversity- Variety of ecosystems
present in a biosphere: variety of
forests, grasslands, oceans, lakes, deserts, etc.
• Genetic Diversity- Total number of genetic
characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species:
Variety in the genetic makeup of organisms of a species
that allow the species to reproduce and gain a
competitive advantage.

6. Why is it important?
• Stability- Stable environment
• Genetic reserves- Genetic diversity
• Medicinal- Medicines
• Agricultural- Food
• Industrial- Building homes
• Scientific- Experimental, new technology
• Aesthetic-Beautiful!
• Ethical- What should we do regarding the environment
• Religious- Religious beliefs regarding the environment

7. Healthy Biodiversity offers
many Natural Services
• Ecosystem services: protection of water
resources, oil formation and protection, nutrient storage and
recycling, pollution breakdown and absorption, climate
stability, maintenance of ecosystems.
• Biological resources: food, medicinal resources and
pharmaceutical drugs, wood products, ornamental
plants, breeding stocks, future resources, diversity in genes.
• Social benefits:
Research, education, recreation, tourism, cultural values

8. Why is it important?
• Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity
where each species, no matter how
small, all have an important role to play.
• Ex: A larger number of plant species
means a greater variety of crops, greater
species diversity ensures natural
sustainability for all life forms, and healthy
ecosystems can better withstand and
recover from a variety of disasters.

9. Biodiversity
• Weird Moon Lady

10. Genetic Diversity in Forests
• The genetic diversity of tropical forests is
basically the deepest end of the planetary
gene pool.
• Hidden in the genes of plants, animals, fungi, and
bacteria that have not even been discovered yet
may be cures for cancer and other diseases or the
key to improving the yield and nutritional quality
of foods
• Finally, genetic diversity in the planetary gene pool
is crucial for the resilience of all life on Earth to
rare but catastrophic environmental events, such
as meteor impacts or massive, sustained
volcanism.

11. Biggest threat to Earth’s
Biodiversity
•HUMANS!!!
•Population: Growth of human
population is a major factor affecting the
environment, There are now 7 billion
people on the earth!

12. Human Impacts
• Habitat alteration
• Over harvesting
• Pollution
• Introduction of new species
• Climate change

13. Human Impacts on Biodiversity
• We have depleted
and degraded
some of the earth’s
biodiversity and
these threats are
expected to
increase if we do
not make a
change.

15. Economic Value
• “At least 40 percent of the world’s economy and
80 percent of the needs of the poor are derived
from biological resources. In addition, the richer
the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity
for medical discoveries, economic
development, and adaptive responses to such
new challenges as climate change.”
-The Convention about Life on Earth, Convention on Biodiversity
wed site

16. Economic Value
• Pharmaceutical- 640 billion, 25-50% derived from genetic
resources
• Biotechnology- 70 billion, from public companies alone, Many
products derived from genetic resources
(enzymes, microorganisms)
• Agricultural seeds- 30 billion, All derived from genetic
resources
• Personal care, Botanical, Food & Beverage industries- 22
billion, 12 billion, and 31 billion respectively. Some products
derived from genetic resources. represents ‘natural’
component of the market.
Report from Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and
International Policy Makers 2009, provided the following example of
sectors dependent on genetic resources:

17. Struggling to Conserve
• Unfortunately, despite the effort put into conservation by
organizations and activists, their work can easily be
undermined by those who have other interests. This
occurs, for example, from habitat destruction, illegal
poaching, to influencing or manipulating laws designed to
protect species.
• Cost of replacing species, if possible, would be extremely
expensive. Therefor it makes more sense to move towards
sustainability.
• As we start destroying, reducing, and isolating habitats, the
changes for interaction from species with a large gene pool
decreases.

18. Deforestation of Forests
• The world’s forests have been exploited to a point of
crisis, major changes in global forest management strategies
would be needed to avoid devastation.
• Deforestation on a human scale results in decline in
biodiversity is known to cause the extinction of many species.
The removal or destruction of areas of forest cover has
resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity.
• Forests provide habitat for wildlife
• Deforestation and introduction of non-native species has led
to about 12.5% of the world’s plant species to become
critically rare.

19. Natural Capital
Forests
Ecological Economic
Services Services
Support energy flow Fuelwood
and chemical cycling
Lumber
Reduce soil erosion
Pulp to make paper
Absorb and release
water Mining
Purify water and air Livestock grazing
Influence local and Recreation
regional climate
Jobs
Store atmospheric
carbon
Provide numerous
wildlife habitats
Fig. 10-4, p. 193

20. Types of Forests
• Old Growth Forest:
uncut or regenerated
forests that has not
ben seriously disturbed
for several hundred
years.
• Account for 22% of the
world’s forest.
• Hosts many species with
specialized niches.

21. Types of Forests
• Second Growth Forest: is a forest which has re-grown
after a major disturbance such as a fire, insect
infestation, timber harvest, until a long enough period
has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no
longer evident.

23. Harvesting Trees
• Humans build roads into previously
inaccessible forests which paves the way
for fragmentation, destruction, and
degradation.

24. Deforestation
• Large areas of ecologically and
economically important tropical forests
are being cleared and degraded at a
fast rate.
• Deforestation and increased road
building in the Amazon Rainforest are a
significant concern because of
increased human movement into wild
area, increased resource extraction
and further threats to biodiversity.

25. Humans affecting biodiversity

26. Habitat Loss, Degradation, and
Fragmentation
• Conservation biologists summarize
the most important causes of
premature extinction as “HIPPO”:
• Habitat destruction, degradation, and
fragmentation
• Invasive species
• Population growth
• Pollution
• Overharvest

27. Fragmentation
• Reduction in the total area of the habitat
• Decrease of the interior : edge ration
• Isolation of one habitat fragment from other
areas of habitat
• Breaking up of one patch of habitat into several
smaller patches
• Decrease in the average size of each patch of
habitat

28. Implications of Fragmentation
• Reduction of available amount of habitat:
• Plants are usually directly destroyed
• Mobile animals (birds and animals)- retreat
into remnant patches of habitat. This leads to
crowding effects and increased competition
• Mobile animals can move between fragments
of the habitat, but It is very difficult and
dangerous(unless you’re a bird).

29. Implications of Fragmentation
• Size of fragment will influence the number
of species which are present:
• Small fragments can only support small populations of
plants and animals, and are more vulnerable to
extinction.
• Minor fluctuations in climate, resources, or other
factors that would be unremarkable and quickly
corrected in large populations can be catastrophic in
small, isolated populations. Thus fragmentation of
habitat is an important cause of species extinction.

30. Biodiversity and Deforestation
• Many species are so specialized to microhabitats within
the forests and their specialization makes them
vulnerable to extinction.
• Vulnerable: organisms in the fragments of forest that
remain also become increasingly vulnerable, sometimes
to extinction.
• Edges of fragmentation: dry out and are buffeted by hot
winds, mature rainforest trees often die standing at the
margins.
• Changes in the types of trees, plants, and insects that can
survive in the fragments rapidly reduces biodiversity in
the forest that remains.

31. Loss of Biodiversity: Extinction
• Human activity had ben causing massive
extinctions for a long time.
• The current extinction crisis is the first to be
cause by a single species … US!
• Happening faster than ever, a few decades
versus thousands to millions of years.
• Humans are not only eliminating species, but
also the environment. Ex. Tropical Rainforest

32. Extinction
• Extinct: Complete disappearance of a species
from the earth.
• Ex. Dinosaurs

33. Loss of Biodiversity
• In different parts of the world, species face different levels and
types of threats. But overall patterns show a downward trend
in most cases.
• Threats of extinction
• 1 out of 8 birds
• 1 out of 4 mammals
• 1 out of 4 conifers
• 1 out of 3 amphibians
• 6 out of 7 marine turtles
• 75% of genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost
• 75% of the world’s fisheries are fully or over exploited
• Up to 70% of the world’s known species risk extinction if the
global temperatures rise by more than 3.5°C

34. What Can We Do?
• Take immediate action to preserve world’s
biological hot spots.
• Keep old growth intact
• Ensure that the full range of the earths
ecosystems are included in global
conservation strategy.
• Make conservation profitable.
• Initiate ecological restoration products to
heal some of the damage done and
increase share of earth’s land and water
allotted to the rest of nature.

35. What else can we do?
• Cute Bee Video!

36. Expected Learning Outcomes
• Definition of biodiversity
• Importance of biodiversity
• Effects of deforestation