What is Conservation and Why is it important

I am sure that most of us are somewhat familiar with some form of conservation; water conservation, energy conservation, and the like.  The definition is the same across the board no matter what type of conservation you are discussing.  The description that I came across defines conservation as “the act of preventing injury, decay, waste or loss and the careful utilization of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion”.  When speaking of wildlife conservation, it is not just about saving the species but it is much more in depth than the simple concept of going out and doing something. There is leg work, research and collaboration involved.

So why should we conserve?  Why not let nature take its course?

I guess we could argue that most species in need of a conservation effort are in need due to human involvement so in most cases we are responsible.  It is no longer a “natural” event when we play the role of invader by taking away habitats through logging, agriculture, etc or by depleting food sources.  Our role as the invader and reason for most extinctions or endangered species goes on but I want to focus on why we should conserve aside from it being our human responsibility.

I strongly believe that genetic diversity plays a major role in the conservation of global diversity. From my genetics class I remembered that the Hardy-Weinberg Law states the principle of population genetics, gene frequencies, and evolution. Basically, a low number of individuals in a population, the lower the genetic frequency and the lesser chance for successful evolution. (Through my class readings I have come across many articles that support my ideas.  I have sited these below but have yet to figure out how to attach them as PDFs.)  In “The role of genetic variation in adaptation and population persistence in a changing environment”, Lande touched upon genetic variation and how an unpredictable genetic variation can decrease the population fitness and therefore increase the chances of extinction (1996). For example, if members of the same species who are related continuously produced offspring, those offspring would be inbreed and more likely to either carry or express a recessive genetic trait (Keller, 2002). Recessive (homozygous) genetic traits tend to be those less desired and most detrimental to species survival. Therefore, heterozygous traits are more desired and allow for the more beneficial traits to be expressed even if the offspring is a recessive carrier. A good example of this would be rats and fur color. The white fur color is a recessive trait and is only expressed when the individual has two recessive genes (one from mom and one from dad). This white fur recessive trait makes it harder for the rats to hide from predators and more likely to not survive.

David Reed further discussed the need for both genetic diversity and heterozygosity within a species population. Both are needed to allow for species evolution. Coming from a conservation stand point, evolution would play a major role (or piece of the puzzle). When conserving an area specific for a species in need of conservation, one must take into consideration (over a long period of time) how a species would evolve naturally versus how the species could evolve due to the conservation efforts (Reed, 2003).

In addition to genetics and biodiversity, conservation plays a key role in providing education.  Just a few years ago it was mentioned that the polar bear could possibly be extinct by the time our children were adults.  Imagine your grandchildren not being able to see such beautiful animals in the wild or even in zoos! 

References:
Keller, I.F., and D.M. Waller. 2002. Inbreeding effects in wild populations. TREE 17:230-241.
Lande, R., and S. Shannon. 1996. The role of genetic variation in adaptation and population persistence in a changing environment. Evolution 50:434-437.
Reed, D.H., and R. Frankham. 2003. Correlation between fitness and genetic diversity. Conserv. Biol. 17:230-237.

How Science and Technology are used in Conservation

As the advances in technology and science grow, conservation efforts are greatly benefitting.  When I first thought of “science and technology”, I immediately jumped to the internet and computers.  The Internet and computers due allow education to be provided to the masses but science and technology are so much more than that.  Think of medical procedures, gps and tracking devices, and many more.  Medical procedures allow for additional research and in some cases my help to save the species from extinction.  Micropropagation comes to mind here.  In short, micropropagation is growing an organism in a test tube. For example, this process was used on an endangered plant, Dianthus superbus. The process included the use of sterile test tubes, fertilized seeds, and greenhouse conditions.  Some advantages included minimal space needed to increase specie numbers, no time restraint based on seasonal weather conditions, and only a small number of plants needed to begin the process. From an ethical stand point, this technology could possibly prevent a species from extinction. However, some researchers argue that this process should only be used as a last resort. But one must consider a worst case scenario, i.e., if initial specie numbers are too low, in vitro inbreeding can occur thus making breeding of test tube offspring genetically redundant. In addition to micropropagation, cryopreservation can be used to save reproductive cells for future in vitro fertilization.  Some other medical procedures include DNA testing to provide the most viable offspring, DNA testing to determine lineage or genetic makeups, and minor surgeries that would help the animal survive.

GPS and tracking are two controversial topics.  For instance, the data collected could be very beneficial to research and education for conservation however, there are some downfalls.  In order to track these individuals, the GPS tracker must be “installed” into the individual and may or may not be painful or cause injury.  In addition to the potential for injury, the device may be large or draw attention to the animal wearing it.  As you could imagine, this could cause issues if the animal were prey and trying to hide or predator and trying to hunt.  However, most tracking devices are very small and do not cause interference and the benefits greatly outweigh the downfalls.  Another consideration that we must take into account in regards to GPS tracking is the holder of the information.  If this important locating information happened to be in the hands of poachers, the unknowing animal could easily put an entire group at risk. 

One example of cryopreservation is the Cincinnati Zoo’s efforts through CREW (The Center for Conservation and Research/Reproduction for Endangered Wildlife) to increase species numbers for the Sumatran Rhino.  CREW holds the key to increasing rhino species numbers through the CyroBioBank which contains frozen semen samples from the Indian rhino in North America and the Sumatran rhino.  The cyrobank can hold the samples and rescue live sperm even after the rhino has died.  The link below is one example of how cryobanking is beneficial.
http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2012/02/10/rare-sumatran-rhino-pregnancy-at-indonesian-sanctuary/

While watching Saturday morning nature shows, I came across this commerical. 

Endangered Wildlife and Extinction: What it means to the World

First let me begin by defining the term ‘extinction’.  Extinction is the end to a species (plant or animal; micro organism or macro organism) which usually begins when the last member of the species dies.  Extinction can also occur in small groups where members of the species exist in a different area but no longer exist in another.  This is termed isolated extinction.  Extinction is different than endangered or threatened.  When a species is endangered, it has the potential to become extinct in the near future.  When a species is threatened, it has the potential to become endangered.  Some members of each group are listed below:

Endangered Animals:

African Elephant

American Bison

Sand Cat

Sea Otter

Sumatran Rhino

Threatened Animals:

American Bald Eagle

Canada Lynx

Loggerhead Turtle

Timber Rattlesnake

Extinct Animals:

Javan Rhino (Recently extinct. Article link here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-20126463/worlds-last-vietnam-rhino-killed-for-its-horn/)

West African Black Rhino

So what does all of this mean?

Many people do not pay any attention to threatened, endangered, or extinct species and truthfully I did not until I began my Zoology program.  After learning and researching, it is my opinion that we will see an exponential increase in extinctions in our lifetime.  Sadly our children may not live to see some species that we cherished as children.  However, it is refreshing to see some species being removed from the endangered species list.    

How do we stop our impact?

There is an article by Stuart Pimm titled “Extinction by Numbers” which discusses our impact on extinction through habitat loss.  Habitat loss is the leading cause of species extinction with humans being the main reason.  Our continued growth through industry, agriculture, and the like (although beneficial to us) decreases habitat availability.  When habitats are decreased, species grow in concentration in smaller areas, competition for food sources increases, food decreases, and eventually specie numbers begin to diminish.   Other causes for extinction include climate changes (also due to humans and global warming) and poaching/bush meat trade.  This is not to say that humans are the only reason for extinctions.  As we have seen with the dinosaurs, mass extinctions through random events can occur.

In addition, the below link directs you to the Alliance for Zero Extinction website. It is a very useful tool in determining species extinction numbers and the like. 

http://www.zeroextinction.org/

Conservation Calendar

2012 Conservation Calendar of Events:

- If you know of any additional dates not added below, please comment so that I may add.

March:

20^th- First Day of Spring

21^st- Barrow Lecture 1 of 4:  Dr. Amy Dickman presenting on “Money, Myths and Man-eaters: Resolving human-carnivore conflict in Tanzania’s Ruaha landscape”

April:

1^st- Gorilla Run 5K to Benefit the Lowland Gorilla http://cincinnatigorillarun.com/

19^th- Party for the Planet- Earth Day Celebration at the Cincinnati Zoo

22^nd- Earth Day!

25^th- Barrow Lecture 2 of 4: Dr. Sharon Negri presenting on “Why Cougars Matter: An Ecological and Cultural Perspective”

May:

9^th- Barrow Lecture 3 of 4: Dr. Shirley Strum presenting on “Darwin’s Monkey: smart, sophisticated, and adaptable”

23^rd- Barrow Lecture 4 of 4: Sharon Marloa presenting on “Thinking (and playing) out of the box: Conservation Strategies That Rock!”

June:

July:

August:

September:

2^nd- Cheetah Run 5K at the Cincinnati Zoo

October:

November:

December:

Species Removed from the Endangered Species List!

2/4/1985             Brown Pelican

3/11/1987           American Alligator

3/20/2001           Aleutian Canada Goose

3/22/2007           Yellowstone Grizzly Bear

5/4/2011             Western Gray Wolf

5/12/2011           Rocky Mountain Wolf

5/18/2011           Missouri Barn Owl

6/16/1994           Gray Whale

6/28/2007           American Bald Eagle

8/25/1999           American Peregrine Falcon

10/8/2008           Missouri Western Fox Snake

Welcome!

Hello! 

The purpose of this blog is to create conservation awareness.  I will be posting weekly conservation topics, "did you knows", calendar events, and volunteer opportunities that pertain to conservation.