Biodiversity the fine balance of

an ecosystem

Design a Conservation Programme

 What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is an environment consisting of all the organisms (bacteria, plants, trees,

insects, mammals, birds, fish, coral etc) and non-living components (air, water, sand, soil,
rock, sunlight etc) in a particular area.

There are many different kinds and sizes of

ecosystem, ranging from the ecosystem of
a single rock pool or hedgerow, to the
ecosystem of an entire forest, ocean,
island or even a whole planet.

An ecosystem provides all the habitat,

nutrients, food and water required for an
organisms survival.

Tristan albatross pair courtship preening, in habitat.

 What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of

different life forms within an ecosystem.

Measuring diversity is used as a way to

measure the health of an ecosystem.
Greater biodiversity = Greater health!

There are different types of biodiversity:

Species diversity

Genetic diversity
Ctenella chagius in coral reef habitat
Ecosystem diversity
All the different members of an ecosystem play an important role in maintaining it. If
something happens to upset the balance, it can cause ripples across the whole
ecosystem:

Loss of prey can lead to food shortages

Loss of predators can lead to overpopulation (meaning an increase in the number of pests and
competition for food and habitat)

An over-abundance of predators can devastate the population of their prey

The introduction of new species can lead to competition for food, nutrients and habitat, and the
spread of diseases

An abundance of species that are destructive to certain habitats can lead to habitat loss

Habitat loss can mean that more species succumb to bad weather, disease and predation, (which
would in turn lead to loss of food supply for their predators)
 What are ecosystem services?

Ecosystems are not just important to the organisms living in them, they are also important to us. Ecosystem
services are the benefits (including economic benefits) that human beings get from natural ecosystems. The
ecosystem must be finely balanced to ensure these services are provided. Ecosystem services include:

Services an ecosystem provides: Services that provide culture:

Clean drinking water
Medicines
Food e.g. wheat, fruit, meat, fish and spices
Materials e.g. cotton, silk, metal, wood, oil
Energy e.g. wind power, hydropower and biomass
fuels
Recreational benefits different landscapes and
water-based environments are used for walking,
swimming and sports
Spiritual and cultural benefits i.e. a beautiful
landscape can inspire happiness, art, poetry and a
sense of cultural pride

Services an ecosystem regulates: Services an ecosystem supports:

Pollination to ensure the survival of crops Seed dispersal essential for the continued
Carbon sequestration reproduction of important plants
Control of disease and pests (e.g. natural predators Maintaining cycles and the dispersal of nutrients e.g.
keep pest numbers low.) carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle and oxygen
Waste decomposition cycle
 People v Conservation

Human threats to conservation

The biggest threat to conservation is

human activity e.g.

Deforestation
Coastal development
Pollution
Road building
Using natural resources
Over-exploitation
On the island of St Helena, the endemic black cabbage
Introducing exotic species tree is threatened by competition from the introduced New
Zealand flax.
 People v Conservation

Conservation efforts

Many volunteer organisations and

government departments have tried to
conserve and protect endangered
species e.g.

Breeding programmes
Regulations and bans
Eradication of invasive species
Monitoring and tagging
The RSPB has announced plans to remove non-native rats Re-building habitat
from the Pacific Island of Henderson. The introduced rats eat
an estimated 25,000 Henderson petrel chicks every year. Creating artificial reefs
 Striking a balance

Conservation is not always easy. Communities need to develop and grow. People
need homes, food and employment. As the population grows we need more land,
more food and more industry. But, it does not always have to be a choice. Some
conservation attempts have also generated revenue streams and new industry.

See the case studies provided in your student briefing packs to see the different
ways conservation and economic growth can go hand in hand.

Look at the case studies:

- What is the conservation? (What species is it conserving and how does it

work?)
- What is the economic benefit?