Conservation Biology

[@amber965]

Can you tell me about some of the worst botched conservation/restoration efforts in your opinion? I think it would be really useful to learn from historical mistakes. Great lecture! It was very helpful!

[@katiemadic2549]

Would strip cutting help all habitats to be around while humans can still get their resources or is there no way for both organisms and humans to be happy when they both have needs?

[@dr.clairesays5104]

There are definitely things we can do to get the resources we need while still leaving habitat for wildlife. There are a lot of sustainable forestry practices that have been developed, but they do tend to be a little more expensive than unsustainable practices.

[@jessicahair3135]

Why exactly do polar bears need so much ice? Also would it end up being possible for polar bears to evolve to not need the ice? Or is the process of the melting ice too quick?

[@dr.clairesays5104]

The main food source for polar bears is seals and those are much easier to catch when they are hauled out on the ice. Bears are adapting to living more on land, but their main food source on land currently is human garbage, which puts them in conflict with humans. It is possible that they will be able to evolve to adapt to a life on land away from humans, but that assumes there is enough variation in the population. It is a very fast change to adapt to.

[@shaewheeler2976]

Since rainforests are going through deforestation, could people use Cassowaries to regrow Australian rainforests? While this would take a long time, is this a possibility to jumpstart the growth of the destroyed habitat?

[@brookeklos6951]

That is a fantastic idea. I never thought of that but I would assume that would help a lot! While it would still take a long time for the trees to grow this would definitely increase germination!

[@dr.clairesays5104]

There are plant nurseries in Australia that grow native plants from Cassowary poop and then replant the trees for reforestation! It's cool huh!?!

[@naomizia-ahmadi7647]

Is there any way to help habitats that have been destroyed by fragmentation? If we tried to rebuild them, wouldn't they look more like the edges?

[@dr.clairesays5104]

It is possible to do habitat restoration, it is just challenging for habitat that takes a long time to grow, like old-growth forest that can take hundreds of years to form.

[@lorrainegeorge99]

Do plants have higher conservation value than animals?

[@dr.clairesays5104]

I don't think so, but some people might argue that because there are more possible medicines you could get from plants.

[@sarahsmith7208]

How has conservation been impacted more recently due to global warming and different standards? How has the COVID-19 pandemic effected this?

[@dr.clairesays5104]

In this country, the current administration has dismantled a lot of environmental regulations for economic reasons. For example, under this administration, the US has left the international climate agreement. There is actually evidence that the pandemic has decreased air pollution and carbon emissions because people are driving less and factories are shut.