Why conserve biodiversity? • Dr Martin Sharman • Policy Officer, biodiversity research • Directorate General for Research • European Commission 1
I hope that nothing in this talk… • …is new to you • …surprises you • …raises any doubt in your mind about anything • except, “when’s supper?” 2
Why conserve biodiversity? • Three possible answers: • I’n’t it obvious? • If you have to ask, I can’t explain. • Trust me, I’m a doctor. 3
Spoiler: what I’m going to say • Humans need biodiversity to survive. • We must protect nature from the consequences of our population growth and thoughtless consumption. Otherwise nature will bite back in ways we will not like. • The stakes are too high and the problem too urgent to waste time in denial or avoiding the issue. • Those who follow us will judge us mainly by the state of the biological world and climate they inherit. 4
biodiversity: a boundary object species object of habitats scientific study what’s inside genes numbers conservation moral issue areas diversity of living things “nature” the wider countryside biodiversity CBD definition “life on Earth” a vision of the complex living world notion mixed with human living things well-being basis of their activities ecosystem services and properties their interactions 5
biodiversity: a boundary object • in broad terms: a concept shared • in detail: everyone sees it differently • it’s a waste of effort to try to find one definition of biodiversity • it’s a characteristic of a boundary object that we all understand it differently. 6
for me, it’s about… finance industry and commerce bacteriology revenue mycology dispersion modelling monetary genetic biocomputing protisology virology engineering genomics viability business economic CO2 populations O2 horticulture computer science options livelihoods nutrients genetics proteomics oceanography services values botany soil life on Earth indirect use climate natural science taxon-based science mountains economics and organic matter marine water aesthetic ichthyology ecosystem science purification ethology dry lands emotional ornithology ecology wetlands ethics morals evolution zoology conservation equity spiritual culture taxonomy rainforest entomology atmosphere biogeography values humanities primatology extinction ritual speciation nontimber lepidoptery products intrinsic cultural philosophy forestry biodiversity aquaculture logic agriculture linguistics art history metaphysics fisheries teaching methods behaviour policy higher education ecotourism demography trade education sociology intellectual property regime tourism urbanisation human ethnography governance nature conservation accountancy transport ethnology business anthropology gardeners foresters social science management law birdwatchers conservationists relationships public administration politics other stakeholders government farmers international relations traditional knowledge livelihoods geography administrations psychology women's studies fishermen bioprospectors healing ethnobotany sustainable use of biodiversity ramblers hunters political geography social psychology ethnozoology economic geography social welfare 7
Why conserve biodiversity? Because we have some money left over WRONG from more important things ANSWER Nul points so let’s save some butterflies and birds and maybe establish a protected area over there somewhere 8
the answer lies here… …it’s all about an adaptable hominid 9
then came agriculture from 2m to 0.5m years ago a new hominid finds a planet 10
adaptable hominid… • aware of, and part of, living world • observant, thoughtful, organized • competitive, efficient, systematic • social, capable of teaching + learning • able to put to use • sticks, stones, wind, water and fire but more importantly • the biological diversity around it 11
the 2 million-year axe present 2 1.5 1 0.5 0.2 millions of years before present (m.y. B.P.) James Watson and Francis Crick discover that DNA is a double helix 0.1 m.y. 0.006 m.y. 2 million years ago 0.035 m.y. 1.5 m.y. 0.2 m.y. modern humans appear in southern Africa microlith tools Homo habilis rapid succession of complex stone technologies Homo erectus Homo sapiens DNA of chimpanzees, gorillas and humans ground, polished stone tools for grinding, cutting, chopping, adzing develops stone choppers from flakes and creates complex chopper tools, prepares core to ensure consistent flakes discovered to be 99% identical human domestication of the dog cores leading to handaxe half a million years later composite tools with wooden shafts first patent of a GMO genome agriculture controls fire pottery expands out of Africa first GM food: "Flavr Savr" tomato GloFish first Dolly biotech the pet sheep 0.00006 million years 1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2013 12
Human population size (bn) 7 2 1.5 1 0.5 0.2 6 2000 5 1990 4 1980 3 1970 2 1950 1 1850 0 myr B.P. 13
Human population size 95% confidence interval International Institute for 14 Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) 12 to scale, represents the the thickness 55 million people of this line killed in 2nd World War 10 8 6 4 outcome of 2000 simulations using does not take expert argument-based biodiversity loss probabilistic forecasting 2 or climate change into account 0 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/POP/proj01/index.html?sb=7 14
I = PAT (Ehrlich and Holdren 1971) • Impact on the environment • Population • Affluence ( per capita consumption) • Technology’s impact on environment when supplying one unit of consumption • Growth in either per capita consumption or population is unsustainable Sustainability Sustainability • For I to be zero, T must be zero? hasn’t hasn’t • No; rate of supply must be lower than got easier rate of recovery of the environment got easier since then since then 15
Limits to Growth Beyond the Limits: Confronting Global Collapse, Envisioning a Sustainable Future Meadows, Meadows, Randers (1993) Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update 9bn natural resources IIASA industry 6bn pollution population « highly optimistic » no wars, ethnic strife, corruption, floods, earthquakes, nuclear accidents, food epidemics 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 16
One thing leads to another agriculture industrial revolution medicine science technology cities power transport 17
Cities • Science and technology make possible • dizzying densities of humans • by exporting impact of locally unsustainable • consumption • production (including waste) • cost to living world • ecosystem conversion • appropriation of energy, water, food • civilization – a state of mind cities • disconnecting humans from the living world • benefit to living world • city folk have lower fertility rates than country folk • city folk have lower energy consumption per capita 18
Earth pays for our well-being ecological living planet depleting the natural capital of our Earth its deep, rich agricultural soils 1.4 1.4 footprint index its groundwater stored during ice ages, and its biodiversity deficit 1.0 1.0 0.6 0.6 this is what estimated pop n number of Earths an extinction spasm size of 1313 needed to support looks like when vertebrate species our collective lifestyle it’s up close and personal 0.2 (1970 = 1.0) 1970 1980 1990 2000 19
people pay too people pay too Fact: the world's richest 500 individuals have a combined income • winners • winner greater than that of the poorest 416 million people • everybody gains something • some people gain much more than others (Wall Street, jet holidays, Chelsea tractors) • losers • losers • cost often paid somewhere else • rarely paid in full by those who gain most • sometimes paid (in part) by reduced capacity to supply service 20
“service” – a misleading word • perhaps so, but at least it raises • ecosystem services these questions • free, immune to attack, infinitely available? • and given our profit-driven economy, it’s by far the best • service in exchange for what? somebody customer somebody concept that we have of our customer owns • service to or for whom? relationshop with nature requests • issues of equity; conflict • service when? service establishes service • e.g. today, or in 100 years? • sorry, I meant relationship. • service for what? pays for applies to • e.g. money, or saving life? delivers • which of several services? policy product policy product • some more obvious than others 21
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