Chapter |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
Chapter 4 Policy Responses to Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Degradation
Discussion Questions
- Should decisions about listing or delisting populations of salmon under the ESA include salmon that originated from hatcheries in population estimates? What are the major arguments on each side of this debate?
- Explain several ways in which the U.S. Endangered Species Act provides animals more protection than plants. Do you think that this preferential treatment is justified? Why or why not?
- Do you think that scientists have a greater obligation to maintain their objectivity or to ensure that their science is effectively communicated to the public, politicians, and other decision makers? What evidence supports your opinion? Can you describe a situation in which it would be difficult to achieve both goals simultaneously?
- Compare the approaches taken by the United States, Canada, and Australia to protect endangered species. What are the pros and cons of each approach? Which of these approaches do you think has the greatest chance for success, and what evidence supports your opinion?
Group Projects
- The Convention on Biological Diversity has as its main goal a reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. Design a practical monitoring program that could be implemented on a national scale and that is capable of assessing progress toward this goal. Specify what would be monitored, how, and how often, as well as how data would be presented and analyzed.
- For three countries (other than the United States, Australia, and Canada), research and summarize the national regulations or laws that are aimed at biodiversity protection.
- Identify a major regional or national conservation problem and debate that is currently receiving media coverage. What are the policy options for responding to this problem? How is science entering into the policy discussion?
Useful Websites
- Australia's Department of the Environment provides up-to-date information regarding Australian species and ecological communities listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc
- Canada's Species at Risk Public Registry provides the text of the nation's Species at Risk Act and a list of at-risk wildlife species. http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/
- Convention on Biological Diversity website provides the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Protocol on Biosafety, lists of parties to the Convention and the Protocol, and information regarding the Aichi Targets and indicators. http://www.cbd.int
- Society for Conservation Biology is the premier international professional society for conservation biologists. In addition to publishing the journal Conservation Biology and hosting annual professional meetings, the organization maintains a database of academic programs and faculty working in the field of conservation. http://www.conbio.org
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program provides up-to-date information about species listed as threatened and endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Factsheets, videos, and the text of the ESA can be found under the "Laws & Policies" tab. http://www.fws.gov/endangered
Suggested Readings for In-class Discussion
- Evans DM, Goble DD, Scott JM (2013) New priorities as the Endangered Species Act turns 40. Front Ecol Environ 11: 519-519.
- Graham-Rowe D (2011) Endangered and in demand. Nature 480: S101-S103.
- Messer KD (2010) Protecting endangered species: When are shoot-on-sight policies the only viable option to stop poaching? Ecol Econ 69: 2334-2340.
- Reiners DS, Reiners WA, Lockwood JA (2013) The relationship between environmental advocacy, values, and science: A survey of ecological scientists' attitudes. Ecol Appl 23: 1226-1242.
- Schenkel R (2010) The challenge of feeding scientific advice into policy-making. Science 330: 1749-1751.
- Waples RS, Nammack M, Cochrane JF, Hutchings JA (2013) A tale of two acts: Endangered species listing practices in Canada and the United States. Bioscience 63: 723-734. http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/9/723.short (open access)