1.0 Introduction
The loss of biodiversity through urban sprawl is expected growing in coming the decade. It can be viewed as a result of expansion of human society and economic development. The main objective of this study is to investigate best practice management for biodiversity conservation in peri-urban areas contributes to better ecosystem service.
1.1 Why biodiversity is important
A fundamental constituent in the provision of ecosystem services is biodiversity. The role of organisms in energy and material cycles provide a variety of services, some of which include: food and the provision of clean air and water (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2009). Therefore the production and supply of essential services is directly influenced by any potential changes or loss of biodiversity – which will in turn affect ecological, economic and social systems ability to respond and adapt to future global pressures. The relationship between biodiversity and the production of ecosystem services is highly complex and remains a subject of scientific debates (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2009). Currently a variety of key issues have been recognised, some of which include:
• When determining the capacity of an ecosystem to produce services the combination of species is highly important. Rather than attempting to maximize species numbers it is critical to conserve or restore the structure and thus the functioning of an ecosystem.
• It remains unclear the degree of biodiversity richness necessary to maintaining the production of ecosystem services. It is predicted that ecosystem richness will provide natural insurance against future loss of ecosystem services.
• As previously mentioned...
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5.0 Conclusion
In Conclusion, this research identifies and confirms the study’s objectives: discussing the issue relevant principles to the issue under investigation and providing background information on the research area. Moreover, establishing and describing best practice for the biodiversity conservation in peri-urban areas to improve ecosystem service prevision.
Any feedback received through this phase will be taken into consideration for the subsequent report. The Phase Four will consider options available for strategic framework to address ecosystem services issue in SEQ and its regional landscape. Further, also evaluate alternative strategic management framework. These will achieve through identify any ruling criteria, describe the option, consider broad policy themes and identify any impacts associated with the implementation of the option.
One view on preserving biodiversity argues that it is imperative solely because species have intrinsic value. In his “What is Conservation Biology?” Soulé argues that the primary aim of conservation is the protection and continuity of entire communities and ecosystems, with an emphasis on protecting biodiversity because species have intrinsic or inherent value (Soulé 728). While it is valid that species should be conserved because they have value in themselves, it is not enough, nor is it the only aim of conservation. Soulé elaborates, however, that it is also important to improve biodiversity by modifying the rate at which biodiversity is changed because small changes in the present can yield large-scale results in the long run (733). This
Overprotection of Biodiversity "Extinction is normal"(pg26, 1st paragraph). However, the rate this process is happening is up to us, to some extent. In this article, two sides are discussing this rate. One side is arguing that biodiversity is overprotected and the other the opposite. The first argument, against protection of biodiversity, states that "at a macro level, there is a tradeoff between production/consumption of timber and production/consumption of related environmental amenities"(pg28, 2nd paragraph).
These include management of growth in a sustainable manner where the reduction of ecological footprint will take place. In doing so, the SEQ regional plan aims to protect the diverse biodiversity of the area and contain urban development. Another one of the SEQ Regional Plan’s strategic frameworks is to protect the regional landscapes which supports the environmental functions. Also with this strategy they aim to enhance the bioregional corridors outside the urban and rural areas which will help to protect the biodiversity in a way that would reduce
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Systems, 2014. Web. The Web. The Web. 27 Feb 2014.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to investigate the various components of different ecosystems in a smaller representation and study the conditions required for the ecosystem’s sustainability as well as the connections between
Modern society faces the challenge of developing its infrastructure and economy whilst improving the quality of the environment and biodiversity. The United Kingdom government’s Departments for Agricultural and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has suggested that these contending aspirations can potentially both be accomplished through a planning strategy known as Biodiversity Offsetting.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (hereafter: “CBD”) is an international treaty adopted by United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and came into force on December 29, 1993. Initially when it came into force there were 168 members now it is 193 in total. The aim to protect biodiversity and the dramatic steps taken for conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits attracted the world communities to become members (History of the Convention, n.d). In principle the convention on biological diversity changed the ownership concept of biodiversity protection i.e. (“common heritage of humankind”) to the “sovereign right” of each member country (Hirsch, 2012). It is the responsibility of the each member to develop and implement policies in a way that helps in the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. It also recognizes the knowledge of local and indigenous people for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (Brahmi et al., 2004).The article 8(j) of CBD has an important provision which gives the member state rights to “respect, preserve and maintain” traditional style and knowledge about the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. The protection must promote the wider application of such knowledge and stimulate innovation and also ensure that the benefits are shared in fair and equitable manner to the communities.
An important feature of green roofs is their potential to provide habitation for urban wildlife, therefore many animal species such as rats and ants would benefit from green roofs. Coffman and Waites, (2008) explains that the urban development practices recognised as roof greening offers habitat for wild species within the towns and it also helps rise the home-grown natural diversity. However, roof greening is not a method restoration ecology, but it is method of reconciliation ecology, where entirely new habitation is formed for non-human species. In addition Green roofs certainly delivers some form of habitat, it is also possible that the properties of the roof could harm the wildlife diversity.
Various plant and animal species depend on each other for what each offers and these diverse species ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. A healthy and solid biodiversity can recover itself from a variety of disasters. It is estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than it would naturally be. Therefore, there is an urgent need, not only to manage and conserve the biotic wealth, but also restore the degraded ecosystems. c) Captivity breeding species can again be reintroduced into the wild.
Deforestation, defined by biologist Charles Southwick as "the destruction of forests; may involve clear-cutting or selective logging" (p. 365), is a predominantly human-driven process that is dramatically altering ecosystems worldwide. "Clear-cutting" involves the indiscriminant removal of every single plant and tree species from within a selected area. The other major process of deforestation, "selective logging," focuses removal efforts on only specific, predetermined tree species within a chosen area. The statistics gathered about human deforestation over time are considerable, and they can be somewhat controversial. Depending on the source and the location selected, the magnitude of deforestation varies. Southwick estimates that, approximately 10,000 years ago, 6.2 billion hectares (23.9 million square miles) of forest existed on earth (p. 117). That figure is equivalent to 45.5% of the earth's total land. He further estimates that, by 1990, this amount had declined 30%, with only 4.3 billion hectares of forest remaining (p. 117). Southwick also acknowledges other estimates that place the total amount of deforestation between 50% and 75% (p. 117). NASA has similar deforestation statistics that confirm these trends. According to their website, 16.5% of the Brazilian Amazon forests have been destroyed. They also note similar magnitudes of deforestation in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam), despite the significantly smaller total area of forest within these countries. These grim figures are somewhat tempered by the NASA finding that, over the past ten years, the deforestation rate has declined from 6,200 square miles per year to 4,800 square miles per year. Though this trend is n...
Biodiversity loss can lead to extinction, and hurt human life. It is our responsibility to take care of the environment. We bring in machines that harm the environment and destroy animal life. We need to limit ourselves on how much land and resources we consume. There are major issues that are causing species to become extinct and hurt our way of life and other animals do to the change in food chain.
Ranganathan, J. et al. (2008). Ecosystem Services a Guide for Decision Makers. World Resources Institute.
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.
These motives are behind the current world’s 50% urbanization rate. Among all countries, Canada heads the urbanization process with 80% of its total area (Snell par.7). The ever-increasing urbanization rate is characterized by human-related destructive activities, which lead to creation of urban centers by destroying inherent biodiversity. The rate is increasing each passing day. However, one thing to note is that destructive activities embody the causes of urban biodiversity wicked problem. The easy way of identification provides land conversion, climate change, consumerism, land fragmentation, and invasive species as the main causes of the wicked problem of urban biodiversity. These causes constitute every aspect of urban life. For instance, there is no way that people living in urban areas can do without proper infrastructures (such as houses, roads, and communication lines). All kinds of infrastructure need space, and, in creating it, there is clearance of all natural vegetation and conversion of land to other uses. The result is annihilation of nature and predisposition of climatic changes. The only easy approach to identify an appropriate solution to the wicked problem of urban biodiversity is to decrease the rate of urbanization by