Presentation used to teach graduate class about Conservation Science and some of the leading Environmental Education authors that have shaped the history of both conservation and ecological thought: Leopold, Carson, E.O. Wilson, Muir, Ehrlich, Meyers and Mac Arthur. A comparison between important ecological terms are included in the presentation such as Keystone verses Umbrella species; the Edge Effect verses SLOSS; lastly Conservation Biology compared to Restoration Ecology.
2. Extinctions, conservation
science and biodiversity
There may be from 8-100 million species on Earth
actual amounts are still unknown only 1 percent of
plants have been investigated from 250,000 species.
Extinction rates between 50-150 species per day
Using an estimate of 10 million species about .2-.6
percent are lost each year
When today’s high school students are grandparents
more than half of the species on earth may be gone
if we continue the extinction rate of species at its
present rate.
Source Norman Myers author of article ‘What’s this
Biodiversity and What’s it Done for Us today?’
3. Conservation Science
Developed throughout the 20th century
1867 term ‘oecology’ developed by Ernest
Haeckel to describe Darwin’s ideas or the
relationship between species and their
environment
1890 European and American scientists called
themselves ecologists (study communities of both
animals and plants) differed from both zoologists
and botanists
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.e
du/history/haeckel.html
4. Two opposing views
From 1874-1945
Fredrick Clements
Plant associations
have a stable
climax that leads
to succession
After WWII (1945--
Henry Gleason
Change in
communities
continuous
Interest in individual
species rather than
communities
5. After WWII a new environmental movement
changes American culture in regard to ecology
and science.
Environmental advocates did not trust scientists would
be a benefit to wilderness because…
By 1947 U.S produced ___________ lbs of DDT
124,258,00
198, 589,00
637,666,00
True or False
In the town of Donora PA a deadly smog killed 20
people and 6000 people became sick?
.
6. From the 1940s -1960s Two
types of scientists existed
Ecologists
Aldo Leopold -forest
management
Rachel Carson -
marine biologist
Paul Ehrlick -
entomologist
E.O Wilson -
entomologist
Scientists who worked for
commercial industries
that produced
atomic bombs,
pesticides,
herbicides, medical
and biological
warfare
7. “That land is a community is
the basic concept of
ecology, but that the land is
to be loved and respected
is an extension of ethics.”
Aldo Leopold,
source:
http://aldoleopold.org/AldoLeop
old/AldoLeopold.pdf Sand County Almanac:
widely read from 1940s-
1970 and today
1947 Aldo Leopold became
president of the Ecological
Society of America
8. Educating the public
In the 1950s and early 1960s
People wanted to remember a romantic past
Ignore devastation of landscape by pesticides,
land pollution to include industrial air and water
pollution
Celebrated the life of John Muir
The mid 1960s began the “age of ecology” (Lewis,
2007, p.207)
Why did it take so long for the public to become
involved with environmental issues?
Eventually the environmental movement began to
educate people on scientific and ecological
terms
carrying capacity, invasive species, extinctions
and biodiversity because of these voices
9. Rachel Carson
1962- Silent Spring
One of few scientists to
work with
environmentalists
Started public outcry
and advocacy against
human pesticides use
and its destructive role
on humans and
ecosystem
By 1972 the Federal
Government banned
DDT. Source.
www.fws.gov/rachelcarson
from Hawk Mountain, PAwww.amazon.com
10. Paul Ehrlich: The Population
Bomb
www. amazon.com
Ecologist, entomologist
and environmental
advocate
Explained that humans
were overpopulating
the earth
Public wanted more
information on scientific
and environmental
topics
11. These scientists shaped the
Scientific Design of Wilderness
Reserves
E. O. Wilson
Biodiversity
Worked with
insects
Jared Diamond
Edge effect
Worked with birds
12. E.O. Wilson and Robert MacArther
(Theory of Island Biodiversity 1967)
The species area curve
showed direct
correlation between
area of island and
amount of species
diversity in plant and
animal life on it.
1969-1975 Ecologists and
environmentalist cited
E.O. Wilson’s work to
advocate for preserving
large nature reserves
rather than small ones in
order to save as many
species as possible
His books have influenced
conservation science
Theory of Island Biodiversity-
1967
Biophiia-1984
Diversity of Life-1992
Future of Life—2002
Joined boards such as
Conservation
International, American
Museum of Natural History,
World Wildlife, and the
Nature Conservancy
Why did E.O Wilson
become an Environmental
Advocate?
13. Norman Myers- The Sinking Ark: a New
Look at the Problem of Disappearing
Species-1979
After this book was
published many scientist
left their former stance of
objectivity and became
environmental advocates
including E.O Wilson
Joined boards on
conservation organization
Published articles in
popular magazines
Wrote books on multiple
topics in conservation
Book informed the public
and scientific community
1% of global rainforests
gone and more than 1
million species will be lost
between 1975-2000.
14. Scientific Design of wilderness
areas: Keystone species or
umbrella species 1970-1980
Minimum viable
population of species
for gene diversity
Save wilderness for
large carnivores like
mountain lions and
bears
Easy to gain support
with environmental
advocacy for wolves,
bears, tigers etc.
Species need broad
range
each mountain lion
needs 25 sq. kms. 500 left
25 sq. kms X 500 = 13,0000
kms. or size of CT
15. Edge Effect and SLOSS
preservation
Jared Diamond
stated ‘edge
effect’ different
species on edge of
forest verses other
species in the
interior for example
oven bird
Single large or
several small
microhabitats ---
save as much
diversity as possible
16. Two types of Ecology
Conservation
Biology
1. Which category
would have the
Tijuana River Estuary?
3. Which category
would have Rocking
the Boat?
Hint: Bronx, NY
Restoration
Ecology
2. Which category
would study a wood
frog in a vernal pool?
4. Which category
would study a oven
bird in its natural
habitat?
17. Society for
Conservation
Biology
Began in 1986 by Michael Soule
Goal promote large areas of interconnected
wilderness and species biodiversity
Mission:
The Society for Conservation Biology
advances the science and practice of
conserving Earth's biological diversity.
Society for conservation biology
http://www.conbio.org/AboutUs/
18. Society for Ecological
Restoration
Founded 1987
Main focus on plant studies
Goals
Restore specific species
Communities
Ecosystems
www. googleimages.com
19. Match author to book
Leopold
E.O Wilson
Ehrlich
Norman Myers
Rachel Carson
Robert Mac Arthur
Silent Spring
The Population Bomb
Island Biodiversity
The Sinking Ark a
New Look at
Disappearing
Species
Sand County
Almanac
20. Conservation and ecological
science
Contributed knowledge to all Americans
Americans used it to conserve wilderness
Science has shaped attitudes about wilderness
Direct affect on how Americans “understand, manage and
preserve wilderness” (Lewis, p. 207, 2007)
Ecology study interactions among community of species
Human influences on nature undesirable
Preservation of large wilderness verses small wilderness
areas
Humans depend on nature and biodiversity for survival yet
continue to threaten it and their own existence.
21. References
Carson, R. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service retrieved on October 31,
2011 from http://www.fws.gov/rachelcarson/#bio
Clements, F. United States Department of History retrieved on Nov
1, 2011 from
http://www.history.ucsb.edu/projects/westcampus/clements/bio.ht
m
Diamond, J. photo retrieved on Nov 1,2011 from www. wikipedia
Hackel E. University of Berkley retrieved on Oct 31 from
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/haeckel.html
Erhlick, P. book picture retrieved on Nov 1, 2011 from
www.amozon.com
Kline, B. (20i1). First along the river. Lanham; MD: Rowman and
Littlefield
Leopold,A Aldo Leopold Foundation retrieved on Oct 27, 2011
from http://aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/leopold_bio.shtml
Lewis, M. (2007). American wilderness A new history New York:
Oxford.
Mountain lion photo retrieved on Nov 1, 2011 from
www.images.search yahoo.com
22. Secession landscape retrieved on Nov 1, 2011
photohttp://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/imag
es/succession.gif
Society for conservation biology retrieved on October 27, 2011
from //www.conbio.org/AboutUs
Wilson, E.O photo retrieved on October 27, from
http://www.eowilson.org
Wilson, E. O. Biophilia Center at Nokuse Plantation retrieved on
October 27, 2011 from
http://eowilsoncenter.org/viewphotos.html
Wilson, E. O. Academy of Achievement. Museum of Living
History. Washington D.C. E.O Wilson retrieved on October 27,
2011
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wil2gal-1