Habitat Loss, Land Use, And Conservation Assignment Overview

Habitat Loss Land Use And Conservationassignment Overviewin This Modu

Define “invasive species” using the USDA website: National Invasive Species Information Center. USDA. Provide three examples of invasive species in your region. Define “endemic species,” and provide an example of an endemic species from anywhere in the world. If you can find an example of an endemic species in your region, please include it as well. After reading the article “Political Responses: Where eagles dare,” answer the following questions: how are governments trying to address threats against endemic species, what are the major challenges, and how are they addressing these challenges? Apply your understanding of habitat and conservation to two cases involving large predators—choose one (e.g., lions, cougars, polar bears). What habitat size is needed to support this animal, what threats face it, and how do international trade and political regulation impact its conservation? Are these protections in place and enforced? Summarize costs and benefits of conserving the Montgomery Botanical Centre’s plant collection, focusing on associated costs, conservation benefits, diminishing returns, and the ideal timing for species preservation.

Paper For Above instruction

Invasive species are non-native organisms that cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health when they establish and spread in new regions. According to the USDA’s National Invasive Species Information Center, invasive species can outcompete native species, disrupt ecosystems, and lead to significant ecological and economic consequences. Examples of invasive species in my region (the Midwest United States) include the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), which clogs water intake pipes and outcompetes native mollusks; the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), which devastates ash trees; and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), an invasive plant that displaces native wildflowers. An endemic species is a plant or animal native to a particular geographic region and found nowhere else. One example of an endemic species is the lemur species found only in Madagascar, such as the greater moussa. In our local region, an endemic plant species is the prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea), native solely to certain parts of North America.

The Economist article “Political Responses: Where eagles dare” discusses various governmental strategies to protect threatened endemic species. Governments implement measures such as establishing protected areas, enforcing anti-poaching laws, regulating trade through international agreements like CITES, and funding conservation programs. The major challenge highlighted is balancing economic development with conservation efforts, especially against pressure from industries such as logging, agriculture, and mining that threaten habitats. Many governments struggle with enforcement due to limited resources and political will, which hampers their capacity to effectively safeguard endangered species.

Applying habitat and conservation principles to large predators, I chose the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Polar bears require a vast territorial range, typically around 1,500 square miles (3,885 km²), primarily dependent on sea ice platforms for hunting seals and other prey. Threats include climate change, which causes sea ice reduction, pollution, and overharvesting. International trade regulations, such as CITES, restrict commercial trade in polar bear products, and agreements like the Arctic Treaty aim to protect their habitat. Enforcement varies by country; for example, Norway and Canada have strict regulations, but illegal poaching still occurs. The shrinking sea ice habitat due to global warming presents a significant challenge that international cooperation and policy enforcement are attempting to address.

The Montgomery Botanical Centre’s effort to preserve plant diversity involves significant costs, including financial resources for maintenance, staff, and research facilities; habitat management; and conservation programs. The benefits encompass preserving genetic diversity, supporting ecological research, and promoting conservation awareness—quantified through measures like conservation success stories, habitat restoration, and species survivability. However, the collection faces diminishing returns as the size increases; larger collections require exponentially more resources, with less marginal benefit per species preserved. The most effective preservation occurs when resources are optimally allocated to rare or endangered species, especially when the initial diversity is high, and the potential for conservation success is greatest. Conservation efforts are most valuable during early intervention stages, when species are at risk but still recoverable, rather than after they have become critically endangered or extinct.

References

• Gurevitch, J., & Padilla, D. K. (2004). Are invasive species a major cause of extinctions? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 19(9), 470-474.
• Haywarda, M. W., O’Brien J., & Kerley, G. I. H. (2007). Carrying capacity of large African predators: Predictions and tests. Biological Conservation, 139, 219-229.
• Glick, H. B. (2014). Modeling cougar habitat in the northeastern United States. Ecological Modeling, 285, 78-89.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). National Invasive Species Information Center. Retrieved from https://www.invasivespecies.info
• International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2020). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org
• Wildlife Conservation Society. (2015). Polar bear conservation efforts. Retrieved from https://www.wcs.org
• Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. (2017). Polar bears and climate change. Norwegian Polar Institute.
• Montgomery Botanical Centre. (n.d.). Conservation projects and costs. Retrieved from https://www.montgomerybotanical.org
• World Wildlife Fund. (2016). Endemic species and global biodiversity. Retrieved from https://wwf.panda.org
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (2017). Global trade regulation and protection strategies. Retrieved from https://www.cites.org