9-4 How Can We Protect Wild Species from Premature Extinction?

• Concept 9-4 We can reduce the rising rate of species extinction and help to protect overall biodiversity by establishing and enforcing national environmental laws and international treaties, creating a variety of protected wildlife sanctuaries, and taking precautionary measures to prevent such harm.

International Treaties and National Laws Help to Protect Species

• 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species _______________• Signed by _______ countries• Bans the hunting, capturing, and selling of threatened

or endangered species• Specifically lists…• some _________ endangered species• 5,000 animal and 28,000 plant species that are at risk

of becoming _________________

• Limitations? Enforcement _____________ from country to country

CITES

175

900

endangered

varies

International Treaties and National Laws Help to Protect Species

• Convention on Biological Diversity _______• Focuses on _________________• Includes efforts to prevent or control the spread of

________________ species• Ratified by 191 countries (not the U.S.)…we are a

contributing member but ratification requires a _________ to be passed.

(CBD)ecosystems

invasive

bill

Endangered Species Act• 1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act ______

• amended in 1982, 1985, and 1988

• Identifies and protects endangered species in the U.S. and abroad

• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identifies __________ species

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) identifies all ___________

(ESA)

ocean

others

Endangered Species Act (2)• Forbids federal agencies (except _____________) from

funding or authorizing projects that jeopardize endangered or threatened species

• 2010: ___________ species officially listed…for these species, _____________ plans are developed• Some success plans involve the American alligator,

gray wolf, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and brown pelican

• Provides economic _______________ for private land owners to help save endangered species living on their lands

defense

1,370recovery

incentives

Science Focus: Accomplishments of the Endangered Species Act (1)

• ESA has many critics…has only removed 46 species from the endangered list

• Four reasons ESA not a failure1. Species are listed only when in ___________ danger

- would be similar to telling a hospital that they are not saving enough lives

2. Takes ____________ to help endangered species3. Conditions for more than half of listed species are

______________ or _________________4. 2010 budget: spends only ____________ per

American

critical

decades

stable improving9 cents

Fig. 9-20, p. 210

Confiscated Products Made from Endangered Species

Due to a lack of funds, probably only _______ of the illegalwildlife trade in the U.S. is discovered

1/10

Science Focus: Accomplishments of the Endangered Species Act (2)

• Three ways to improve ESA1.Greatly increase _____________________2.Develop recovery plans more ____________3.When a species is first listed, establish the _________

of its habitat that’s critical for survival

• Most biologist agree that the U.S. needs a new law to focus on sustaining biodiversity and ___________ ________________

fundingquickly

core

ecosystemhealth

We Can Establish Wildlife Refuges and Other Protected Areas

• First wildlife refuge was established in ______ by President Theodore Roosevelt at Pelican Island in ______________ to help protect the brown pelican

• Wildlife refuges• Most are _______________ sanctuaries• ____________ are needed for endangered plants• Most do not receive enough funding to support their

____________• Could abandoned military lands be used for wildlife

habitats?

1903

Florida

wetlandMore

staff

Fig. 9-21a, p. 211

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Gene Banks, Botanical Gardens, and Wildlife Farms Can Help Protect Species• Gene or seed banks• Preserve ____________ material of endangered plants• Drawbacks? Expensive to operate; can be destroyed

by fires or other mishaps

• Botanical gardens and arboreta• Contain _____________ plants• Drawbacks…too little space to try and contain all of our

endangered plant species

• __________ to raise organisms for commercial sale instead of taking them from the wild

genetic

living

Farms

Zoos and Aquariums Can Protect Some Species (1)

• Techniques for preserving endangered terrestrial species• Egg pulling…collecting ________ eggs• Captive breeding…________ (not economically

_______________)• Artificial insemination• Embryo transfer• Use of incubators• Cross-fostering….when the young of one rare species

is raised by a _______________ species

wildzoos

feasible

similar

Fig. 9-22, p. 213

What Can You Do? Protecting Species

Case Study: Trying to Save the California Condor

• Largest North American bird…nearly extinct in the early 1980s with only _______ remaining in the wild• Threatened by lead poisoning from ____________

present in __________________ that they were eating

• Birds captured and breed in captivity

• By 2009, ________ in the wild…a total of 348 including captive populations

• Expensive project…$35 million so far

22

bulletscarcasses

180

The Precautionary Principle• Precautionary principle: ______ to prevent or

reduce harm when _____________ evidence indicates acting is needed

• “Better safe than sorry”

• Preservation of species and ecosystems

actpreliminary

Allocating limited resources/funds

Which species to focus on?

Most critical habitats?

Three Big Ideas

1. We are greatly increasing the extinction of wild species by destroying and degrading their _______________, introducing harmful _______________ species, and increasing human population _____________, _______________, climate _____________, and _________________.

2. We should avoid causing the extinction of wild species because of the ecological and economic _________________ they provide and because their existence should not depend primarily on their usefulness to us.

habitatsinvasive

growth pollutionchange overexploitation

services

Three Big Ideas

3. We can work to prevent the extinction of species and to protect overall biodiversity by using _______ and treaties, protecting wildlife _______________, and making greater use of the _________________ principle.

lawssanctuaries

precautionary

Review Questions

• What two main international treaties are discussed in this section?

• What are some methods for sustaining biodiversity and protecting species?

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity

Wildlife refuges, gene and seed banks, botanical gardens,farms, egg pulling, captive breeding, artificial insemination, cross-fostering