Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Protecting Biological
Diversity and
Ecosystem Function
A
N IMPORTANT LESSON FROM CHAPTER
6
IS THAT CONSERVATION OF SPECIES
requires preservation of natural habitat. Upsetting the integrity of natural
habitats through fragmentation, exploitation, or conversion to other land
uses can trigger a cascade of ecological changes that sooner or later lead to
species extinctions. Indeed, it is estimated that if the current pace of human-
caused global habitat loss continues, many habitats and associated species
will be completely eliminated by 2080 (Sinclair et al. 1995). More than ever
in the history of the planet, humankind is at a critical juncture in the way
it chooses to interact with the natural world.
The practical reality is that the need to support a burgeoning global pop-
ulation demands that natural lands be increasingly exploited for their raw
materials or converted into living space and agricultural production.The at-
tendant consequence is that there is altogether less space to support the rest
of planet's living diversity, and so humankind is forced to become strategic
about what species it actively chooses to protect. Our ability to do this is
constrained by limited funding.To reconcile this trade-off, we have to look
for ways to conserve the most species
per dollar spent.
One expedient strategy is to iden-
tify areas that support high concen-
trations of species—“biodiversity
hotspots”—and devote efforts at pro-
tecting those areas (Myers et al.
2000). The rationale for adopting
such a strategy is that biodiversity hot
The practical reality is that the need
to support a burgeoning global
population demands that natural
lands be increasingly exploited for
their raw materials or converted
into living space and agricultural
production.
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