Biodiversity at Risk Today's Choices Matter (2022) / Chapter Skim
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4 WHAT CAN WE DO?
4 WHAT CAN WE DO?
Pages 17-31
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From page 17... ...
Leadership is vital to this effort and world leaders have taken some steps to address this challenge. For example, the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, outline objectives for protecting the planet while ending poverty by 2030.71 Separately, a proposed Global Goal for Nature, currently in negotiation, aims to turn our current trajectory around and make humanity nature positive by 2030 and achieve full recovery in biodiversity by 2050.72 These timelines are short and the goals are ambitious because the problem is so urgent, and so important.
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From page 18... ...
Bottom trawling is allowed again in some areas but restricted in areas deemed essential to fish reproduction and extremely deep waters that contain rare deep-sea corals and sponges.75 Recently, scientists and policy makers have increasingly focused on the pro tection of marine resources as a way to preserve biodiversity, boost the yields of fisheries, and mitigate climate change.76 This may be particularly efficient if marine protected areas are implemented through a globally coordinated prioritization effort, according to a 2019 study.77 More responsi ble use of the ocean's resources could help to reshape the global economy and provide sustainable solutions to meet the food and Coho salmon are among the many depleted fish stocks that energy needs of a growing human population. have been rebuilt through fisheries management efforts.
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From page 19... ...
For example, in agriculture, scientists are developing technologies for regenerative farming, an approach that seeks to reduce harm to the land and restore and revitalize soil as it is farmed.80 Cities can incorporate technologies and biodiversity sensitive urban design principles for a more positive relationship with nature.81 And as world leaders work to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, scientists are studying ways to help ecosystems adapt; for example, by examining genes that could give corals greater temperature tolerance to prevent coral bleaching.82 Although we cannot yet rely on biotechnology to bring species back from extinction, technological advances offer Changing the way we grow our food can have a major useful tools to aid many conservation efforts. impact on biodiversity.
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From page 20... ...
For example, the California condor, the largest North American land bird, was driven to near extinction by the 1970s and was reestablished successfully in many areas of the Western United States and Mexico thanks to captive breeding and release programs at zoos and wild animal parks.83 The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust provides a safe haven for endangered animals where they can breed and recover while keeper-conservationists study them to learn more about what they will need to thrive again in the wild.84 Botanical gardens, seed banks, and tissue culture centers, where plant cells grown in laboratories can be studied under highly controlled conditions, play major roles in helping to conserve and enhance biodiversity of wild and cultivated plants. And natural history collections provide a huge amount of information on past biodi versity, organisms' relationships to their eco systems, and the causes of species declines.
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From page 21... ...
There are tens of thousands of wild or rarely cultivated species that could provide a richly varied range of nutritious foods, resistance to disease, and tolerance of the changing environment87 -- if they survive. Fortunately, it is now possible to efficiently sequence and catalog the genetic information for all life on Earth, and the emerging field of conservation genomics is exploring how such data can be used to help threatened species.88 Currently, Chocolate's key ingredient comes only from the cacao tree, which is threatened by rising temperatures in leading the focus is largely on vertebrate species.
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From page 22... ...
Stemming mangrove destruction for wood harvesting, shrimp farming, and aqua culture could significantly increase the uptake In Sumatra, people are replanting mangrove forests that have of carbon emissions in some regions.91,92 been lost to wood harvesting, shrimp farming, or aquaculture. Although there is potential in using nature to Mangroves protect shores from storms and sea-level rise, provide fight climate change, it is not a substitute for vital habitat for marine life, and store a significant amount of efforts to reduce emissions, which should be carbon, which can help in the fight against global climate change.
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is a newer designation that focuses on retaining biodiversity in ecosystems that are managed or utilized for other activities such as fishing, hunting, low density grazing, or other cultural activities.97 This designation can encompass much larger areas of land and oceans than protected areas and provides opportunities for more equitable practices that support local and Indigenous communities. As of May 2021, at least 16.6% of land and inland water ecosystems globally and 7.7% of coastal waters and oceans are within protected areas and OECMs.98 Quarantine regulations and disease-protection practices in trade and travel are also intended to help prevent the catastrophic introduction of invasive species and exposure to disease- causing organisms, respectively.
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From page 24... ...
train park rangers to use anti-poaching tactics and sniffer dogs to apprehend traffickers.104 The AWF also works with local communities to encourage responsible development and with international agencies to protect Africa's natural resources. Some NGOs are also playing a part in the collective management of protected areas, such as the Frankfurt Zoological Society in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.105 To combat the loss of African wildlife, NGOs such as the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)
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From page 25... ...
For example, the Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987, established a plan to phase out the use of chemicals that were depleting Earth's protective ozone layer.108 At the time, a growing hole in the ozone layer was leading to the bleaching of phytoplankton, the basis of marine food webs, and harming the health of humans and other species by letting in more ultraviolet light from the sun. It was the first treaty to be ratified by all countries in the world, and it has since succeeded in helping the ozone hole to heal.
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From page 26... ...
has emerged as a valuable resource for informing and guiding biodiversity conservation and sustainable management efforts worldwide, similar to the role the Inter Leaders at a conference for the Convention on International Trade governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
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From page 27... ...
Few people in high-income countries like the United States, Japan, and Western Europe are aware of the impacts their lifestyle choices have in other parts of the world. Beef production, for example, is the leading driver of deforestation in the world's tropical forests, spurred by the demand in wealthy countries.117 As standards of living improve in rising economies, the demand for beef and other products with a major ecological impact will rise, too.118 Achieving a higher quality of life for billions of people, while addressing climate change and the related decline of biological diversity, requires learning from past mistakes, promoting social justice, and a greater degree of international cooperation than anything we have been able to manage to date.
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From page 28... ...
28 W H AT C A N W E DO? WHAT YOU CAN DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL HOW IT BENEFITS BIODIVERSITY AT THE STORE Buy products labeled as sustainably Supports producers mindful of biodiversity produced or supporting fair trade and sustainability Choose organic fruits, vegetables, and grains Reduces pesticide and fertilizer pollution Reduce meat consumption Reduces cleared and/or overgrazed lands Choose local and seasonal produce Reduces ecological pressures associated with globally sourced food AT HOME Choose a green energy supplier Supports energy producers mindful of biodiversity Plant and maintain a wildlife garden of native Provides critical habitat and a place to species; build bird and bat houses enjoy nature Eliminate/reduce the use of non-natural Protects pollinators; reduces pollution fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides IN CIVIC LIFE Learn about biodiversity and share Encourages biodiversity-friendly actions your knowledge in friends and neighbors Use your vote and charitable giving to Fosters structural changes that benefit support biodiversity biodiversity Volunteer for local cleanup or community Allows direct action to help biodiversity; science projects fosters a connection with nature SOURCE: Table information is largely adapted from Selinske et al., 2020.119 BIODI V E RSI T Y AT RI S K : TO DAY 'S C H O I C ES M AT T E R
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From page 29... ...
Collective actions, taken on the part of nations at all levels of government and in the industrial, agricultural, and transportation sectors will be essential to creating the changes needed to restore Earth's ecosystems. Nations around the world are paying attention to biodiversity loss and taking steps to address it.*
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From page 30... ...
30 W H AT C A N W E DO? IN GOVERNMENT • Respect the rights of Indigenous groups and local communities • Designate protected areas that are effective and ensure participatory governance and management • Support restoration and conservation projects • Participate in international efforts and treaties • Enact and enforce laws to protect biodiversity • Ensure that incentives and subsidies align with biodiversity goals IN FOOD PRODUCTION • Use farming practices that support biodiversity (e.g., regenerative and agroecological farming)
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From page 31... ...
Pollution and climate change are causing untold changes with impacts that will last for centuries. As our actions throw ecosystems further and further off balance, the risk of their collapse grows higher.
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