BIOL 1001 Chapter : BIOL 1001 Chapter 30 Conservation
Document Summary
Conservation biology is dedicated understanding and preserving earth"s biological diversity. Biodiversity - the amazing variety of living organisms that inhabit earth: 7-10 million species are estimated to exist, 1. 5 million are named, most are named species are animals, but most of the organisms are probably not animals! Ecological economics is used in government planning: new york city water supply from the catskills mountains, but, it was being polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff. City officials determined that it would cost less to protect the mountain ecosystem than to build a water purification plant: the city purchased large tracts of land, keeping them in a reasonably natural state. Union for conserving nature): 12% of all birds, 21% of all mammals (fig. 30. 5: 31% of all amphibians, 5% of reptiles. The human ecological footprint estimates the area of earth"s surface needed for the resources we use and to absorb the wastes that we generate.
