Tag Archive for 'conservationofbiodiversity'

by Matt Lee

The common thresher (Alopias vulpinus) is a widely dispersed species of shark that inhabits oceans all around the globe. However, because of the species’s high value as a marketable commodity, populations of the common thresher are currently being exploited to irreversible levels. The key obstacle to preventing exploitation is the dearth of quantitative knowledge of shark population numbers, which is the result of unreported target and bycatch fishing of the animal. As an apex predator, the common thresher plays a key regulatory role in countless marine ecosystems, and its removal could produce negative consequences worldwide. More research must be performed to establish the actual extent to which commercial fisheries effect population numbers. With such research completed, scientists and policy makers could better establish conservation goals and manage resources to better protect the species, which is already on the path to extinction.

By Alissa Wall.

The Japanese dolphin slaughter is decimating coastal populations of dolphins, yet it is unregulated by the International Whaling Conference (IWC).  Emotionally charged pleas have yet to stop the unethical killings.  Because wildlife conservation acts at the species level and because dolphins are comprised of many non-endangered species, a new method to conserve populations is needed.  If individual populations of dolphins are demonstrated to exhibit unique cultures, then the destruction of individual populations parallels human genocide.  A strong case could thus be made to extend the conservation of biodiversity to include the preservation of culture.

Several studies have been designed to determine whether dolphins exhibit cultures analogous to those of apes. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected in individual neurophysiology, intrapopulation interactions, and interpopulation interactions.  The data will be analyzed and presented to the IWC with the goal of effecting policy change that protects dolphins from unnecessary destruction due to their advanced cognitive abilities and distinctive cultures.

Evan Darwin:

Gorillas are threatened with extinction unless steps are taken to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus within the species. While gorillas are also threatened by habitat loss and poaching, extensive research has already been conducted on these topics and steps are being taken to reduce these threats. To limit the spread of the Ebola virus, more information needs to be collected on the mechanisms that spread the Ebola virus. Field studies should be conducted to determine whether the virus is being spread through a carrier species such as the fruit bat, or whether it is being spread primarily through interactions between population groups. It is important to gain this knowledge since it could not only help save gorillas, but also save humans as well since the Ebola virus is also a deadly disease that decimates human populations.