A primer on Biological Diversity and its importance.

1. BIODIVERSITY
BASICS

3. What is Biodiversity?

4. What is Biodiversity?
Biological Diversity is the incredible
variety of life on Earth - its genes, its
species, and its ecosystems.

5. 3 LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

6. 3 LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY
Genetic Species Ecosystem
• genes are the • more than1.7 million • is the combined
building blocks species have been physical and bio-
of heredity named to date but logical components
likely more than 10 of an environment
• 1 gene can million exist!
• they build slowly,
lengthen a life- over millions of
span, or create • total # of species in years
a race of giants a certain ecosystem
is known as • Area counts: large
• genetic variation ecosystems are
species richness
allows adaptation more diverse an
to a changing and complex than
environment small ones

7. Genetic diversity is created by interbreeding
among different populations. It is vital for
disease resistance and species resilience.
resilience
Genetic diversity is maintained through
connections between habitats such as
greenways, riparian areas and wildlife corridors.

8. Habitat Fragmentation Affects Biological Diversity
Intact Ecosystem

9. Habitat Fragmentation Affects Biological Diversity
Fragmented Ecosystem
Intact Ecosystem

10. Interior Habitat is Highly Valuable
• Many native species need large tracts of interior habitat and
completely avoid edge habitat.
• Edge habitat greatly increases with increased fragmentation
• Many established parks are too small for interior species and some
small patches of habitat may contain all edge and no interior

11. Wildlife Corridors Connect Fragmented Areas
Strip of habitat makes it possible for
wildlife to travel more safely between
“islands” of habitat.
Wildlife corridors increase the ecological
value of isolated and fragmented habitat.

12. Riparian vegetation acts as a wildlife corridor,
allowing migration of species between
fragmented patches of habitat.

13. BC is the most
biodiverse province
in Canada
BC has 16 different
major ecosystem types

14. In an ecosystem, all of the biological, physical, and
chemical components form a complex interacting
network of energy flow and materials cycling.

15. Ecosystem processes regulate global cycles
of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, minerals and water
essential to the survival of life on earth.

16. ECOSYSTEMS: Essential for all Life

17. ECOSYSTEMS: Essential for all Life
They Give:
• water
• food (food webs)
• habitat
• fuel
• soil
• construction
materials
• fiber
• medicines
• jobs in forestry
agriculture, parks
fishing and tourism

18. ECOSYSTEMS: Essential for all Life
They Give: They Do:
• water • recycle nutrients
• food (food webs) • clean the air
• habitat • produce oxygen
• fuel • purify water
• soil • mitigate floods
• construction • control erosion
materials • detoxify soils
• fiber • provide shade
• medicines • moderate climate
• jobs in forestry • pollination
agriculture, parks • convert solar energy
fishing and tourism • protect against
harmful cosmic rays

19. ECOSYSTEMS: Essential for all Life
They Give: They Do: They Are:
• water • recycle nutrients • aesthetically
• food (food webs) • clean the air pleasing
• habitat • produce oxygen • source of intellect-
• fuel • purify water ual stimulation
• soil • mitigate floods • a sense of place
• construction • control erosion • recreation places
materials • detoxify soils • intrinsically valuable
• fiber • provide shade • irreplaceable
• medicines • moderate climate
• jobs in forestry • pollination
agriculture, parks • convert solar energy
fishing and tourism • protect against
harmful cosmic rays

20. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?

21. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?
Are Ecosystem Services FREE?

22. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?
Are Ecosystem Services FREE?
Can we put a COST on nature’s services?

23. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?
Are Ecosystem Services FREE?
Can we put a COST on nature’s services?
Could we AFFORD them?

24. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?
Robert Costanza (professor at University of
Maryland) estimated the value of nature’s
“free” services to be:
$33 trillion /YEAR!
In that same year, he estimated the GNP
of the earth to be only $18 trillion / year

25. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
We Use NOW - But Pay WHEN?
Our current economic systems
do NOT account for the
VALUE and USEFULNESS
of ecosystems and biodiversity

26. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

27. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION

28. The conversion of natural ecosystems to human
uses is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity

29. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION
• ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTATION

30. Fragmentation converts intact ecosystems
to patches of isolated habitat

31. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION
• ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTATION
• INTRODUCED SPECIES

32. Introduced Species can displace
native species or out-compete
them for food and habitat

33. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION
• ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTATION
• INTRODUCED SPECIES
• CONTAMINATION/POLLUTION

35. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION
• ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTATION
• INTRODUCED SPECIES
• CONTAMINATION/POLLUTION
• OVER-EXPLOITATION

36. Wordwide Depletion of Commercial Fisheries

37. THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• ECOSYSTEM CONVERSION
• ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTATION
• INTRODUCED SPECIES
• CONTAMINATION/POLLUTION
• OVER-EXPLOITATION
• CLIMATE CHANGE

39. Many species will not be able
to adapt fast enough
to changing environmental
conditions and will face
imminent extinction

41. B.C is the most biodiverse province
in Canada. It’s biodiversity is
globally significant because
of its variety and integrity.

42. Ecosystem conversion due to development
and agriculture, and degradation from
the forest, oil and gas industries, and
transportation corridors, has seriously
impacted B.C’s biodiversity.

43. Species Richness Over Time
(for 17 carnivore and ungulate species)
Historic Current

45. Failure to protect ecosystems leads to…
• loss of topsoil
• erosion, flooding, drought
•ground water contamination
• loss of pollinators
• reduced air and water quality
• extinction of species.

46. Maintaining the integrity of
natural systems is the best way
to protect biodiversity in all
its forms:
genetic, species and ecosystems.

48. Comox Valley Conservation Strategy
embraces the
precautionary principle
as a vital foundation of its
regional conservation framework.

49. The Precautionary Principle:
“If an activity may cause harm
to the public or the environment,
lack of full scientific certainty or
consensus should not postpone
measures to prevent damage
from occurring.”

50. For more information on the
Comox Valley Conservation Strategy:
www.cvconservationstrategy.org