Welcome!Please read the board!

Monarchs!

Are these worth protecting?

Why should we protect biodiversity? (all the species on the planet)

5 Reasons to protect biodiversity

• 1. Medicinal• 2. Commercial• 3. Agricultural• 4. Ecological• 5. Ethical/Aesthetic

Reason #1:Medicinal

Rosy Periwinkle: Hodgkin’s disease and lymphocytic leukemia

If a species disappears, it could

have been an important cure for a

serious disease!

• 40% of modern medicines come from plants/animals/fungi

• 95% of known plant species have never been tested for medicinal value

Vampire Bat saliva • Used to create an

anticoagulant to prevent clotting during surgery

Pacific Yew – Taxol cancer medicine

Reason #2: Commercial – We should protect species because we can make money from them.

Harvesting: Shrimp industry Harvesting: Recreational hunting

Commercial: Ecotourism – spending money to visit an ecosystem or a species

Visiting Nature Preserves Whale Watching

Ecotourism

Austin’s bat colony Snorkling

Ecotourism

Mountain biking Whitewater Rafting

Biomimicry - engineering designs based on natural systems

Biomimicry – engineering designs based on natural systems

Whale fins – better wind turbinesUnderwater plants – floating energy

harvesters

Reason #3: Agricultural – we should protect species because they could strengthen our crops

• Of 80,000 known edible plants on the planet, we depend on 20 species to provide 90% of global food supply.• Corn, rice and wheat are

50% alone!• So . . . What if a disease

strikes one of these important crops?

Relying too heavily on one variety of a species can be risky

1841-1851

• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/potato-variety

Maybe these could be new food sources

Winged Bean of New Guinea Katemfe berry

Agricultural – We should protect species

because they might be pollinating our food.

Reason #4: Ecological – We should protect species because they all play a role in their ecosystem.

Food webs

• Food webs• Symbiotic relationships• Indicator species• US Fish and Wildlife

Service estimates that losing one plant can trigger the loss of 30 other species

Simba says it’s all connected!

Ecological• Ecosystem services!• Air purification• Water filtration• Climate control

(absorbing CO2)• Gene bank• Soil building

Reason #5: Aesthetics/Recreation/Spiritual/Moral – We should protect species because it’s the right thing to do and a diverse world is more interesting!

We are ONE species

• 1.5 million KNOWN species• More are discovered

every year

Biodiversity enriches our lives!

“Endangered means there’s still time!”

• Threatened• Endangered• Extinct

Which reasons apply to our friend the Monarch?