SHEN2341/SIL2011

Genetic Resources & Conservation

Dr. Yeoh Suat Hui

suathui_yeoh@um.edu.my

Office: MP2.0, Block B12,

Genetics & Molecular Biology Programme,
Institute of Biological Sciences
 Course Learning Outcome
• Describe the principles of conservation in
genetic resources and the use of
biotechnology for conservation
• Link evolutionary process concepts with
principles of conservation
• Identify molecular genetics techniques and
indicate their suitability for conservation
programmes
 Introduction to Conservation Biology

• What is Conservation Biology?

• Characteristics of Conservation Biology.
• Principles in Conservation Biology
• Values and ethics in conservation biology
• Biodiversity
 What is Conservation Biology?
• Conservation Biology emerged as an academic
discipline in the 1980s –relatively young science
• a multidisciplinary science that has developed to
address the loss of biological diversity
• Driven by concern over human activities that:
– result in mass destruction of natural habitats – eg.
tropical rain forests, coral reefs, prairies.
– disrupt the natural hydrologic and chemical cycles
– overharvest animals/plants
• Other ecosystem threats: climate change,
invasive species
 A quick updates on the status of forests today

• The good news: The speed at which trees are

being cut down worldwide is slowing from 8.3
million hectares a year in 1990-2000 to 5.2
million in the past 15 years.
• The bad news: About 13 million hectares of
forests continue to be lost every year and
we're losing about 200 square kilometres of
forest each day. (IUCN)
 Characteristics of Conservation Biology
• A discipline dedicated to conserving biodiversity
(goal oriented)
– Three goals
• Document all biological diversity
• Understand human impact on species communities and
ecosystem
• Develop practical approaches to prevent the extinction of
species, maintain genetic variations within species, protect
and restore biological communities and their ecosystem
function
• Multidisciplinary - ecology, demography,
taxonomy, genetics, statistics, philosophy, social
science, law, policy.
Characteristics of Conservation Biology
• Complements traditional disciplines
- Traditional disciplines of resource management (eg.
agricultural, fisheries) – economic oriented
- Conservation Biology – primary goal concerns the long
term protection of entire ecological communities
• Crisis disciplines – due to time pressure,
researchers are compelled to make decisions
without thorough investigations that would
normally be required.
• An inexact science – ecological system are
complex and currently unpredictable beyond
limited generalities.
Characteristics of Conservation Biology
• Field that involves eternal vigilance
- Even protected areas can be destroyed if they contain
resources desired by authorities/ individuals.
• Science with evolutionary timescale
- recognizes that evolution is the central concept of biology
and has played and should play the central role in nature.
• Science with values
- Science is neutral. However, it is not completely free from
human influence. Conservation Biology is goal oriented
discipline, which is to preserve natural ecosystems and
biological processes. Therefore, it is a discipline with value.
- Normative Postulates of Conservation Biology - Diversity of
organism is good, Ecological complexity is good, Evolution is
good (Soule, 1985)
 History of Conservation Biology
• Significant environmental degradation has always
accompanied mankind though not at the scale of
contemporary environmental destruction.
– Aristotle commented on the destruction of forests in the Baltic
region
• Although still very young as a formal discipline, the idea of
protecting and conserving nature can be traced to religious
and philosophical beliefs
– the physical and spiritual connection between human and
nature existed long ago.
– Tao, Hindu, Buddhist : nature provide intense spiritual
experience and must be protected
– Islamic teaching: people are given the sacred responsibility to
be the guardians of nature.
– Penan in Borneo gives names to individual trees and animals.
 History of Conservation Biology
• In the tropics, some shifting cultivators (early societies that
dealt with reclining resources by moving into a new place)
drove species to extinction but others practiced some
forms of conservation management.
• European Origin
– Human-centric view led to the exploitation and degradation of
resources in regions colonised by European countries.
– There was conservation in the form of game management and
royal preserves on land belonging to the royalty and wealthy.
– However, exploitation of public land led to the deforestation of
most Europe by early 18th century.
– Scientific officers in European colonies came to see that
protection of forests was necessary - prevent soil erosion,
provision of water, maintain food supply.
– Various environmental laws were passed and forest reserves
were established
– Extinction and decline of wildlife led to concern for their
protection –led to formation of conservation movements.
 History of Conservation Biology

Extinction of Dodo bird (Raphus

cucullatus) in Mauritius in the
1680s. Within 80 years of human
colonization
 History of Conservation Biology
• American origins
Ralph Waldo Emerson, a Henry David
philosopher. Thoreau, a
Nature could be viewed philosopher and
as a temple in which transcendentalist.
people can commune Advocate for
with the spiritual world – nature and
in his writing on opponent of
transcendentalism materialistic
society

John Muir (1838-1914), wilderness advocate, used transcendental

themes in his campaign to preserve natural areas.
Preservationist ethic – spiritual values of nature were superior to
material gain obtain by exploitation of nature.
Nature has intrinsic value – value in itself apart from value to
humanity
View biological communities as assemblages of species evolving
together
History of Conservation Biology
Gifford Pinchot (1865 – 1946)
- First head of US Conservation service
- Resource conservation ethic:
Principle 1: Resources should be fairly distributed
among present consumers, and between present
and future consumers. (sustainable use)
Principle 2: Resource should be used with
efficiency – put to best possible use and not
wasted.
- Government bodies are needed to regulate and
control natural resources
History of Conservation Biology
Aldo Leopold (1887 – 1948)
- Coined the term evolutionary-ecological land
ethic:
Most important goal of conservation is to
maintain the health of natural ecosystems and
processes. This will give greater long term value
to human than managing natural areas for their
resources only.
- Consider human to be part of ecological
community.
- Ecosystem management (places highest
management priority on maintaining the health
of ecosystems)
 History of Conservation Biology
• There was no central forum/organization to
address conservation issues and for researchers
to come together to develop new ideas and
approaches.
• Michael Soule organized the First International
Conference on Conservation Biology (1978)
• Development of conservation biology as a
discipline
• 1985 – Society for Conservation Biology was
founded
 Principles in Conservation Biology
 Principle 1: Evolution is the axiom that connects all biology
- evolution is the mechanism that explains the existing global
biodiversity.
 Principle 2: Ecological realm is dynamic and mostly not in
equilibrium
- the regulation of structure and function in ecology is not
produced internally, but as external processes
- eg. Natural disturbances such as forest fire, flood, epidemics.
- Ecosystems consist of types of mosaic habitats, with
heterogeneous communities and indefinite categories.
• Principle 3: Humans existence must be considered in the
conservation plans
– human impact is unpreventable.
– Consideration of indigenous and modern cultures.
Ethics in Conservation Biology: the rationale for
preserving species

• The diversity of species and biological communities should be

preserved
• The untimely extinction of populations and species should be
prevented
• Ecological complexity should be maintained
• Evolution should continue
• Biological diversity has intrinsic value
 Biodiversity
• Biological diversity
• Three levels of Biodiversity:
– Species diversity – all species on earth
– Genetic diversity – genetic variation within species
– Community diversity – different biological
communities and their associations with their physical
environment
All three are important for the survival of life