Chapter 4: Wildlife and Biodiversity
I. Life on Earth
A. What is biodiversity?
* Convention on Biological Diversity - http://www.biodiv.org/convention/articles.asp
* BCIS - A consortium of ten international conservation organizations and programs
of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, BCIS Members collectively represent the
single greatest global source of biodiversity conservation information in the
world. BCIS is a framework within which the Members' networks work together
toward a common goal: to support environmentally sound decision-making and action
by facilitating access to biodiversity data and information.
http://www.biodiversity.org/
* The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation - http://cbc.amnh.org/
* Biodiversity Hotspots - Conservation International (CI) focuses its efforts
on 25 biologically rich areas around the world under significant threat of destruction.
The remaining natural habitat in these biodiversity hotspots amounts to just
1.4 percent of the land surface of the planet, yet supports nearly 60 percent
of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots
B. Biodiversity over time
* Mass Extinction Underway - examines the theory that we are currently living
in an era of mass extinction. http://www.well.com/user/davidu/extinction.html
* The Sixth Extinction, by Virginia Morell - National Geographic, provides article
about how some fifty percent of the world's flora and fauna could be on a path
to extinction within a hundred years. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/9902/fngm/
* BBC- The Extinction Files - guide to mass extinctions, extinction theories,
terminology, and specific species, past and present. http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/darwin/exfiles/index.htm
C. Is There an Extinction Crisis?
* Endangered/Extinct - profiles of animals that are either seriously endangered
or extinct. http://nature.ca/notebooks/English/mon2.htm
* Committee on Recently Extinct Organisms (CREO) - collaboration by scientists
around the world to standardize criteria for analyzing extinctions. http://creo.amnh.org/
* Symposium on Food Security and Biodiversity (PDF) - Basel, 16 October 2003
Sharing the Benefit of Plant Genetic Resources Fair and equitable benefit-sharing
within the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture:
The View of the Berne Declaration
http://www.syngentafoundation.org/db/1/414.pdf
* Syngenta - Foundation for sustainable agriculture. Food Security for a Growing
World Population: 200 Years After Malthus, Still an Unsolved Problem - http://www.syngentafoundation.org/index.cfm?pageID=369
D. Why preserve biodiversity?
* Personal actions to help preserve biodiversity (PDF) - information about
land use planning issues and potentially destructive developments personal actions
to help preserve biodiversity - http://www.biodiversityproject.org/html/biodiversity/individuals.htm
* AB Environment - What You Can Do - Preserve Biodiversity How You Can Help.
- http://www.abenvironment.com/biodiversity.asp
* Symposium on Food Security and Biodiversity (PDF) - Basel, 16 October 2003
Sharing the Benefit of Plant Genetic Resources Fair and equitable benefit-sharing
within the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture:
The View of the Berne Declaration http://www.syngentafoundation.org/db/1/414.pdf
* Syngenta - Foundation for sustainable agriculture. Food Security for a Growing
World Population: 200 Years After Malthus, Still an Unsolved Problem - http://www.syngentafoundation.org/index.cfm?pageID=369
II. Managing the Wildlife Commons
A. Who owns wildlife?
1. Common Heritage of Mankind
* Conservation International - a nonprofit organization using science, economics,
policy, and community involvement to promote biodiversity conservation in rain
forests and other ecosystems worldwide. - http://www.conservation.org/
* IUCN: The World Conservation Union - a union of governments, government agencies,
and non-governmental organizations working at the field and policy levels, together
with scientists and experts, to protect nature. - http://www.iucn.org/
* THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA - Montego Bay, Jamaica,
10 December 1982. Entered into force, 16 November 1994. http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf
2. Common Concern of Mankind
* UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - http://www.unfccc.int/
* Convention on Biological Diversity - http://www.cbd.int/
B. Policy Instruments
1. Restricting access and take
* The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - an agency within the U.S. Department
of the Interior, administers 261 million surface acres of America's public lands,
located primarily in 12 Western States. The BLM sustains the health, diversity,
and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and
future generations. http://www.blm.gov/
* The Nature Conservancy - working to preserve plants, animals and natural communities
that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters
they need to survive. http://www.nature.org/
* National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) - protecting parks for future
generations. Includes information about wildlife and habitats as well as guides
to each of the parks. http://www.npca.org/
* Land Trust Alliance - supports conservation by ensuring that people who work
through voluntary land trust organizations have the information, skills, and
resources they need to save land. http://www.landtrustalliance.org/
* Sierra Club - promotes the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources.
http://www.sierraclub.org/
2. Landscape management and captive breeding
* National Wildlife Refuge System - http://www.fws.gov/refuges/
* National Wildlife Refuge Association - Since 1975, the NWRA has been the only
organization dedicated exclusively to protecting, enhancing and expanding the
National Wildlife Refuge System. http://www.refugeassociation.org/
* Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - official site from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. http://arctic.fws.gov/
3. Market instruments
* The Tradable Permits Approach to Protecting the Commons - http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/archive/00000366/
* Environmental taxes, tradable permits - Economic instruments, like taxes and
tradable permits, are environmentally effective and economically efficient policy
instruments. OECD has long advocated for a consistent use of these instruments
and has carried out extensive analysis of their implementation. http://www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_34295_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
* Individual Transferable Quota Programs - A promising solution to the problem
of overcapitalization is a fishery management tool known as individual transferable
quotas (ITQs). http://www.atsea.org/issues.php
4. Restricting the market for Sale
* Wild Aid - Primary objective is to
reduce consumer demand for wildlife products by directly influencing the attitudes
of consumers. http://www.wildaid.org/
* Lacey Act -
http://iris.biosci.ohio-state.edu/regs/lacey/lacey.html
* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) - UN secretariat that oversees the agreement to protect endangered species.
http://www.cites.org/
III. The Endangered Species Act
* The Endangered Species Act of 1973 - http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/esa/content.html
* Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 - http://www.fws.gov/pacific/migratorybirds/mbta.htm
* Lacey Act - http://iris.biosci.ohio-state.edu/regs/lacey/lacey.html
* Bald Eagle Protection Act - http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Eagle/guidelines/bgepa.html
* Marine Mammal Protection Act - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/
A. U.S. Wildlife Laws
B. Listing
* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered Species List - includes a Federal
list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html
* Environmental Defense Center v. Babbitt - http://www.hawaii.edu/ohelo/courtdecisions/ConsCouncil98-2DW.htm
* Sierra Club v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service - http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/federal_judge_halts_state_cougarkilling_study.html
Case Study: Should Hatchery Salmon be listed
C. Designation of Critical Habitat
D. Conservation
E. Consultation, Jeopardy and Adverse Modification of Critical
Habitat
* Department of the Interior Issues Endangered Species Committee Decision,
July 13, 2001 - http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/N/int0192.shtml
* Tellico Dam - http://supreme.justia.com/us/437/153/case.html
* Portland Audubon Society v. Endangered Species Commission -
http://openjurist.org/984/f2d/1534/portland-audubon-society-v-endangered-species-committee-oregon-lands-coalition-o-and-c
F. Prohibition Against Takes
1. Direct takes
2. Indirect takes
* Palila v. Hawaii Dept. of Land & Natural Resources - http://www.hawaii.edu/ohelo/courtdecisions/Palila79DW.htm
Problem Exercise: Pygmy Owls on the Double R Ranch
Case Study: Reintroduction of wolves
* Assessment of the Reintroduction Potential of Five Federally Threatened
and Endangered Plant Species at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
(27 March 1998) - http://www.fs.fed.us/mntp/speciesreintro/3_1.htm
* Yellowstone Wolf Update - http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/w_update.html
* Wyoming Farm Bureau v. Babbitt - http://www.animallaw.info/cases/causfd199f3d1224.htm
* Wolf reintroduction to the Adirondacks - http://forests.org/archive/america/wolfadir.htm
3. Vicarious takes
* Loggerhead Turtle v. City Council of Volusia City - http://openjurist.org/148/f3d/1231/loggerhead-turtle-v-county-council-of-volusia-county-florida
G. Creating Incentives for Species Protection
* Safe Harbor program - http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/
H. Does It Work?
Case Study: The Delhi Flower-Loving Sand Fly
* Protecting a Flower-loving Fly by Shawnetta Grandberry and Chris Nagano
- http://www.fws.gov/endangered/bulletin/98/09-10/24-25.pdf
* Law Gone Loco August 4, 2001 By Don Fife - http://prfamerica.org/2001/LawGoneLoco.html
