U.S. And Developing Countries Assessment Essay

U.S. And Developing Countries Assessment

Option #1: Threats to Biodiversity: U.S. vs. Developing Countries

Although species extinctions are part of the evolutionary process, current extinction rates are much greater than at any time in the last several million years. Current extinction rates are about 2,500 times the background rate at which species have disappeared due to evolution—that is approximately two species lost in every hour of every day! To address this issue, we need to recognize the major threats to biodiversity.

Many human activities threaten biodiversity either directly or indirectly, and virtually all current extinctions are due to human activities. While a myriad of threats potentially undermines biodiversity, each species faces its own specific suite of threats. Moreover, species in different regions of the world are more prone to some threats than others. If we are to mitigate these threats, we must first understand what specifically is threatening biological diversity in a particular region.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) maintains a list of imperiled and extinct species, known as the Red List of Threatened Species. The list can help us to understand just what threatens biodiversity around the world. In this exercise, you will obtain a list of threatened species for your country and then contrast the causes of species imperilment in your country with that in the world at large. From this assessment, you will develop an understanding of the primary threats to biodiversity both locally and globally.

There are a variety of reasons why species become threatened with extinction. Threats to biodiversity are often grouped into five basic categories: ecosystem loss, unsustainable (human) use, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. Note that these are very general classes of threats. The IUCN provides a far more detailed breakdown of threats, which is available on their website (see “Threats authority file” at the bottom of the search screen). Become familiar with these categories.

In your paper, answer the following questions:

1.) What are the major threats to wild species in the United States?

2.) What are the major threats to species in the developing nation you have selected?

3.) Based upon your threat rankings, are there any noteworthy differences between the two lists of threats? What might account for these differences?

4.) Based upon the results of your analysis of threats to species in the United States, what conservation actions would you recommend to prevent future species extinctions? Suggest at least two specific steps that might be taken, and why they might be effective.

5.) Based upon the results of your analysis of threats to species in the developing country you selected, what conservation actions would you recommend to prevent future species extinctions? Suggest at least two specific steps that might be taken, and why they might be effective.

How to Complete this Assignment

To answer these questions, you will repeatedly query the IUCN database using different search criteria. Each search will enable you to determine the number of species in a particular region that are facing a particular threat. You will compare your results to determine if there is any evidence of differences in the importance of each threat in your country versus globally. Lastly, you will interpret and make inferences about the relative importance of each threat at the scale of your country versus globally.

Step 1. Searching the IUCN database

Go to: http://www.iucnredlist.org/ (Links to an external site.) and choose “Search” (you can do an “Expert search” but start with a basic search for now.)

Look over all the search criteria. You can query this database by Red List category (or species status), Country, Region of the World, Marine Region of the World, Major Habitat Type, and/or Major Threat Type. This is an extraordinary database for analyzing patterns of threats to biological diversity around the world.

Under “Select one or more countries,” choose the United States.

Under “Major threat types” you can limit your search to particular threats to species or select one or more threats. Because we are interested in general classes of threats, you should search the major categories one at a time. So, start with: 1. Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced). This will select all those species at risk from any type of human-induced habitat loss or degradation. Then select “Search.”

Step 2. Interpreting the results of the search

You will now see a list of species that meet the search criteria you have selected, that is, that occur in the U.S. and are threatened by habitat loss and degradation. Because we want to contrast threats by region, you are primarily interested in tallying the total number of species that were located by the search (see top of results screen, e.g., “Viewing results 1 to 50 of 162”). Record the total.

Step 3. Performing the remaining searches for the United States.

You want to obtain and record the total number of species in the United States facing different threats. So, repeat the search process nine more times, changing the threat category each time. Use the following 10 categories:

1. Habitat Loss/Degradation [human induced]

2. Invasive Alien Species [directly affecting the species]

3. Harvesting [hunting/gathering]

4. Accidental Mortality

5. Persecution

6. Pollution [affecting habitat and/or species]

7. Natural Disasters

8. Changes in Native Species Dynamics

9. Intrinsic Factors

10. Human Disturbance

Record the total number of species for each threat category. Then rank the different categories from 1 to 10, with 1 being the biggest threat and 10 being the least significant one. Use the following table to organize the data:

IUCN Threat Category

United States

Ranking

Developing Nation

Ranking

Persecution

Pollution

Natural Disasters

Changes in Species Dynamics

Intrinsic Factors

Human Disturbance

Total species

Step 4. Comparing with Developing Nations

Repeat steps 1 to 3 but now for “Select one or more countries,” choose a developing country. A list of developing nations as of 2018 can be found here.

(Links to an external site.)

On the IUCN Threat Table, replace the words “Developing Country” with the name of the one you chose. Record totals for each major category of threat, as you did for the United States. Rank the different categories from 1 to 10, with 1 being the biggest threat and 10 being the least significant one.

Requirements:

Your written paper should be 3 pages, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include. It also does not include any visual elements, such as tables, diagrams or photographs.

U.S. And Developing Countries Assessment Essay

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