Conservation (Plants and Animals)

Conservation (Plants and Animals)

Plant and animal conservation (also known as wildlife conservation) deals with protecting, preserving, promoting, managing and studying wildlife and their resources. As a result of growing plant and animal extinction rates and the ensuing degradation their environmental services, wildlife conservation has become increasingly important. The conservation movement is critical in ensuring the future success of our planet as a whole. The purpose of this annotative bibliography is to provide a brief introduction to the main causes of plant and animal extinction (e.g. Koopowitch and Kaye, McKinney, World Wildlife Fund), various conversation methods (e.g. Brooks et al., du Toit, Forsyth et al., Tisdell, et al.), the challenges and limitations of conservation efforts (e.g. Vié, Hilton-Taylor & Stuart), and local to global action plans for both the individual and community (e.g. Government of Canada, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund).  A myriad of nongovernmental organizations and wildlife welfare groups exist for the sole purpose of wildlife conservation, and yet extinction rates continue to increase at an astonishing rate. Currently, the literature lacks a thorough discussion of the interconnectedness of multiple systems impacting conservation (e.g. ecosystems, financial systems, medical systems, industrial systems, etc.). The focus of this annotative bibliography is to understand the need for wildlife conservation and explore methods for setting both individual and community conservation priorities. 

Brooks, T.M., Mittermeier, R.A., da Fonseca, G.A.B., Gerlach, J., Hoffmann, M.,     Lamoreux, J.F., ...Rodrigues, A.S.L. (2006). Global Biodiversity Conservation         Priorities. Science, 313(58), 58-61. doi: 10.1126/science.1127609

One of the major challenges in conservation planning is the efficient allocation of financial resources to regions that will maximize the good for the greatest number of species.  The purpose of this article is to better understand nine institutional templates of global conservation prioritization methods classified under the ‘irreplaceability/vulnerability approach’ to conservation in terms of efficiency in allocating funding to ‘geographically flexible wildlife conservation planning’. 

The nine global conservation prioritization templates presented are similar in that they are largely executed in partnership with nongovernmental organizations, but differ in that they place emphasis on different aspects of the irreplaceability and vulnerability continuum. The varying direct measures and factors used along the continuum (e.g. plant endemism, special units, habitat loss, land tenure, etc.) are explored. To some extent the subjective nature of the measures inherently limits the reliability of the conservation frameworks. In addition, graphical representations of the nine global wildlife biodiversity conservation priority areas reveals that no two frameworks yield similar results, again limiting the reliability of such frameworks. When the graphical representations are overlapped, the authors attempt to extract the regions of highest and lowest priority in terms of irreplaceability and vulnerability. Lastly, such prioritization frameworks are used to raise awareness for financial needs of conservation planning and simultaneously influence global donors to contribute and commit to both local and global conservation efforts.

du Toit, J.T. (2010). Considerations of scale in biodiversity conservation. Animal         Conservation, 13, 58-61. Retrieved from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/       123371604/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Biodiversity conservation, as a crisis discipline, faces the challenge of “weighing the urgency for action against the need for sustainable long-term solutions” (p. 229).  Conservation planning experts struggle to weigh the costs to create a sustainable conservation plan to manage risk factors associated with the natural dynamics of the species. du Toit believes this struggle is largely due to a missing question that is crucial to the conservation planning process: “has the conservation problem been examined across multiple scales? [local, regional, mutli-regional/dimensional]” (p. 229).  This article explores the effects of the neglected factor of scale on the endangered region and species in question. The importance of scale considerations in conservation planning becomes evident, as du Toit concludes by suggesting a new scale-incorporated approach to conservation planning.  This approach evaluates the urgency for action and the need for long-term solutions on a 3-part probability of success equation: project effectiveness, opportunity costs and cost efficiency.  du Toit presents a simple decision making diagram to assist in the evaluation of the combined probability of success model. 

Forsyth, L.D., Sinclair, D.M., Freemark, A.R.E., Moore, K., Barrett, T.W., Pressey, R.      & White, D. (2004). Species distribution, surrogacy, and important conservation        regions in Canada. Ecology Letters, 7, 374-379. doi: 10.1111/j.1461       0248.2004.00590.x

Providing a comprehensive endangerment classification of all species in Canada is a rigorous task.  This article introduces the concept of ‘surrogacy’ as a less-time consuming alternative to the traditional endangerment evaluations. Surrogacy techniques involve using conservation evaluations of an animal or plant species on a particular site to determine the ability of that plant or animal to survive in another region. There are two purposes of this article: first, discuss a research study that tests the validity and usefulness of surrogacy conservation evaluations; second, to use the surrogacy approach to determine the most important conservation areas in Canada. Accordingly, the study introduces the use of two surrogacy methods, summed irreplaceability and species richness in combination with mathematical models evaluating similarities among five sample animal groups (i.e. birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and listed endangered species). First, the study proved that surrogacy evaluations are reliable. Both methods of species richness and summed irreplaceability had significant, positive correlations among all five animal groups, although species richness had a stronger correlation.  Second, southern prairies, southern British Columbia and southern Ontario were identified as the three sites in Canada with the highest species richness and summed irreplaceability among all five animal groupings. The article suggests that these three regions would serve as successful sites for the surrogacy of endangered species in Canada.

Government of Canada. (2007). Species at Risk Public Registry. Retrieved from   http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm

The Canadian Government’s conservation motto is “Recovery is everyone’s responsibility,” thus this site is tailored to the general public in order to help the everyday person better understand Canada’s approach to wildlife conservation. This website is the Canadian government’s version of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List which serves as a public registry providing a database of current events, news and documents related to species at risk in Canada.

In the ‘Our Approach’ section, Canada’s federal and provincial legislative agreements and acts on endangered species and conservation are listed (e.g. Species at Risk Act (SARA), the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, Canada Wildlife Act and the Cooperation Agreement for the Preservation of Species at Risk).  This section also serves as a central hub for all federal and provincial habitat stewardship programs, wildlife management boards, non-governmental organizations and international organizations in which Canada partners or supports. The ‘SARA Component Section’ provides a detailed A-Z list of all species at risk in Canada, their location, their endangered status, the classification criteria used for assessment, the specific plant or animal’s conversation progress and current recovery action plans being implemented. The ‘Get Involved’ section provides various opportunities for all stakeholders (i.e. general public, companies, scientists, etc) to get involved in Canada’s conservation efforts.  This website is a great starting point for both small and large scale conservation initiatives. 

Koopowitch, Dr.H. and Kaye, H. (1983). Plant Extinction: A Global Crisis. Washington, U.S.A.: Stone Wall Press, Inc.

Koopowitch and Kaye believe “very few people are concerned about the plants, and yet the plant kingdom faces a far greater extinction crisis than that occurring in the animal kingdom” (p. 5). The book is divided into four sections addressing the global crisis of plant extinction and the importance of its preservation. 

The first section highlights the necessity of plants for the survival of the human species. Plants serve a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, medicine, nutrition, industrial/consumer manufacturing, leisure and art. The second section discusses the main reason for conservation initiatives, unnatural extinction. The third section describes one method of plant conservation, a ‘technological ark’, which creates a gene bank by freezing seeds and pollen in order to preserve them.  Gene banking is promoted as a simple conservation method that requires little disciplinary knowledge or special equipment.  The fourth section discusses the role plant hobby groups play in plant conservation efforts.  Although these groups have the common goal of creating awareness for the value of wild plants they are described as a ‘double-edged sword’ where some greedy efforts to save the rarest plants are done at the risk of other plants.  This book stresses the importance of plant conversation organizations such as the IUCN to push against the ignorant and unrealistic expectations of national governments.  Animal and plant conservation work hand-in-hand in determining the future of our world.

McKinney, M.L. (2002). Urbanization, Biodiversity and Conservation. BioScience, 52(10),883-890. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/         stable/pdfplus/1314309.pdf

A multitude of threats to biodiversity exist increasing extinction rates in both plants and animals around the world. Urban development (or urbanization) has surfaced as the greatest contributor to wildlife extinction by way of habitat loss. Urbanization takes many forms: farming, logging, recreation, agriculture, and infrastructure development.  The article presents two main challenges wildlife conservation efforts face as a result of urbanization.  First, urbanization allows for the replacement of native species with non-native species inherently decreasing the biological uniqueness of an ecosystem.  Second, as a result of the first, there is a decreasing availability of natural environmental services which the human population so readily depend on.  This is caused by the imbalance growth rate of urban and suburban land occupation compared to that of land preserved for national parks and conservation areas. The article highlights the relationship between urbanization and native ecosystems through the comparison of local habitat loss, biodiversity, extinction rates, wildlife adaptation and exploitation abilities, and the success of conservation and restoration strategies for both plants and animals in rural and urban regions.  The article reveals that both species richness and composition severely decreases as one moves towards urban centers.  The author concludes with three action plan suggestions for both urban developers and ecological leaders to improve the conservation of native species: incorporate biodiversity preservation methods into urban planning; introduce re-vegetation efforts into previously developed areas in order to promote ecological succession and improved biodiversity of native species; and increase public awareness through ecological education.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature. (2010). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from http://www.iucnredlist.org/

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s largest and oldest international environmental network that supports multi-national scientific research, manages international field projects and connects 160 countries, governments, non-government organizations, all United Nations agencies, corporations, and 11,000 scientists and local communities. The IUCN acts to “influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable” (IUCN, 2010).

One of the IUCN’s initiatives is to maintain a comprehensive record of the global conservation status of all plants and animals, known as the Red List. The Red List, published in 2008, is divided into nine categories:  Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Least Concern, Data Deficient, and Not Evaluated. The degree of plant and animal extinction is determined by five biological factors: rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, degree of population and population distribution fragmentation. In addition to the comprehensive list of engendered plants and animals, the Red List provides information on the location of the species, the cause of extinction and recommends conservation initiatives for that particular species. Through the publication of the Red List the IUCN hopes to provide information to the aforementioned stakeholders in order to generate an awareness, appreciation and concern for biodiversity as a crucial component of both human and non-human livelihoods. Following the review of this website it is recommended that one consult Vié, Hilton-Taylor & Stuart’s (2009) Wildlife in a Changing World: An analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for a critical review of the Red List.

Tisdell, C., Swarna Nantha, H., & Wilson, C. (2006). Endangerment and likeability of          wildlife species: How important are they for payments proposed for conservation?      Ecological Economics, 60, 627-633. Doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.01.007

There is debate within the scientific community regarding the importance of the likeability of an individual species and the perceived level of endangerment of that particular species when determining an individual or community’s commitment to wildlife conservation.  This article uses the economic principles of commodity to extract the main factor influencing the public’s demand for conserving wildlife. 

The article is presented in four sections: introduction, methodology, results and discussion.  The introduction outlines the scientific debate in detail.  The methodology used consisted of two serial survey questionnaires given to a sample size of 204 participants in sampling locations of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and twenty-four Australian wildlife species.  The two surveys presented the same questions, but the first without any additional information on the species and the second with an accompanying wildlife presentation. This section also details the execution and sequence of the questionnaires and the rational for such methodology. The results section reveals that the “provision of greater knowledge about the species increased the relative importance of the endangerment of species as a determinant of the allocation of funds for their conservation” (p.629).  The discussion section reveals greater statistical significance between the level of commitment to wildlife conservation and the degree of endangerment over the likeability of a species.  This section exposes the study’s weakness in that the provision of more information between each questionnaire may have also affected the participants’ relative likeable in addition to the awareness of the level of endangerment. The importance of this study is to emphasize the need for the public to be provided with accurate information about endangered species when influencing the public’s interest and support for wildlife conservation. 

Vié, J.C., Hilton-Taylor, C. & Stuart, N.S. (Eds). (2009). Wildlife in a Changing World: An    analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Retrieved from http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/          wildlife_in_a_changing_world.pdf

This publication is a follow-up companion to the IUCN’s Red List created in preparation for ‘The International Year of Biodiversity’ in 2010.  It serves two purposes: first, to provide a critical review and understanding of the endangered species lists through the analysis of examples of successful conservation initiatives in various species and locations; second, to provide insight into the translation of such lists in achieving a successful transition from ‘patchwork conservation’ to a new all-encompassing and ‘sustainable ecosystem approach’ to biodiversity conservation.

The publication is divided into seven sections.  First, the importance and necessity of the Red List as conservation tool in a ‘species rich world’ is reviewed.  An individual perspective of each animal and plant family (e.g. birds, amphibians, mammals, conifers and cycads) is provided in the second section discussing geographical implications, habitat and threats. The third section indicates the Red List’s weakness of providing proper coverage and inclusion of freshwater species, their conservation needs and potential implications on human beings, development and conservation planning.  The fourth section highlights the role of the most crucial habitat for plant and animal conservation – oceans. A further analysis of the conservation of marine life is detailed highlighting the progress of sharks, rays, groupers, reef-building corals, seabirds, marine mammals, and marine turtles. The fifth section echoes that of the third section in that the publication highlights the limited coverage of endangered species in the Red List. The sixth section attempts to translate the information provided in the Red List into terms relatable to climate change.  The relationship between climate change and extinction are discussed as a two-way street, both effecting one-another. The final section echoes that of the fourth section, highlighting the crucial role of the Mediterranean habitat in sustainable conservation development. In addition to the seven detailed sections, the publication concludes with a series of informative charts and tables summarizing the highlights and interconnectedness of each section in conservation development. Prior to consulting this resource, it is recommended that one reviews The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (2010) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species website in for a better understanding of the concept and purpose of the Red List.

World Wildlife Fund. (2010). Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation.        Retrieved from http://www.worldwildlife.org/

One of the world’s leading and most well known conservation organizations is The World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  This website serves as a hub of information providing a historical, financial, political and visionary background of the WWF.  The WWF works with 100 countries and five million members globally to achieve its goal of conserving “nineteen of the world's most important natural places and significantly chang[ing] global markets” (WWF, 2010) in pursuit of its vision to protect the future of nature.  The site details the WWF’s comprehensive approach to conservation and the partnerships, operations, and progress involved in its conservation science, finance, legislative, and community and expert initiatives. Such initiatives are presented under the WWF’s priority conservation regions (e.g. Arctic, Amazon, Congo, etc.) and species (e.g. tigers, dolphins, marine turtles, etc.).  Through this website the WFF attempts to raise awareness for the importance of wildlife conservation through a presentation of the interconnectedness of climate and conservation on both an individual, local scale and a community, global scale.  This interconnectedness is discussed through the basics of climate change to the impacts and adaptation required by all world stakeholders.  Without fail, within each section of the website, the WWF encourages others to take on their own conservation initiatives by providing numerous conservation opportunities to: individuals, families, and communities (e.g. back to school programs); business and industry (e.g. carbon-cutting programs); and elected official and government (e.g. WWF membership). The WWF’s website provides both an urgent and optimist outlook on wildlife conservation through its unforgiving critical analysis of priority regions and species and its local-global action steps to mitigate the effects of wildlife conservation.

Other resources to consider:

Movies:

Eugen Schuhmacher (1967): The Last Paradises: On the track of rare animals. Translated by        Gwynne Vevers and Winwood Reade. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc.,     Natural History Press.

Metacafe. (2009). Planet Earth – Trailer. Retrieved from http://www.metacafe.com/watch/            456861/planet_earth_trailer/

Youtube. (n.d.). Wildlife Conservation Films Channel.  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/    user/WLCFilms

Websites:

Wildlife Conservation Society. (2010). Saving Wildlife, Saving Wild Places. Retrieved from            http://www.wcs.org/

Books:

Given, D.R. (1994). Principles and Practice of Plant Conservation. Portland, Oregon: Timber            Press.

Hamilton, A. & Hamilton P. (2006). Plant Conservation. London, England: Earthcan.

Articles:

Berkes, F. (2004). Rethinking Community-Based Conservation. Conervation Biology, 18(3),            621-630. Retrieved from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/            journal/118784267/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Groves, C.R., Jensen, D.B., Valutis, L.L., Redford, K.H., Shaffer, M.L., Scott, J.M.,            Baumgartner, J.V., …Anderson, M.G. (2002). Planning for Biodiversity Conservation:            Putting Conservation Science into Practice. Bioscience, 52(6), 499-512. Retrieved from     http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/sici?origin=sfx%3Asfx&sici=0006            3568%282002%2952%3A6%3C499%3APFBCPC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I

Climate Change

  Climate Change

           

In terms of global climate change, it can be defined as a change over an extended period of time in the whole Earth’s climate, also known as average weather, which includes changes in temperature (e.g. global warming), precipitation, wind patterns, natural disasters, etc.  Often, climate change and global warming, which is defined as the average increase of the Earth’s temperature, is used interchangeably; however, climate change is more than just a warming trend of the Earth’s surface.  Climate is a complex, interconnected system that includes the atmosphere, water (liquid, snow and ice), land (rock, soil, and sediment), and the entire biosphere (plants, animal and human life). The resources included will cover the two main responses to climate change, mitigation and adaptation, as well as topics related to the socio-economic consequences and impact on human health.

Bernardi, M. (2008). Global climate change – a feasibility perspective of its effect on human health at a local scale. Geospatial Health, 2(2), 137-150.

I found this resource to provide a useful introduction—with handy charts, diagrams and pictures for the visual learners—to various concepts and terms associated with climate change, such as climate change, climate variability, and global warming.  Bernardi also compares the two main approaches in response to climate change, mitigation and adaptation, in terms of the impact on human health. It is recommended that this article be used in addition with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) website, as Bernardi draws his main conclusions from the 2001 and 2007 IPCC assessment reports.  A section of the IPCC reports (2001; 2007) offers research and literature discussing mitigation as an approach, but for countries with developing economies, reduction of green-house gas emissions is not a top concern. Bernardi expands upon this point in the article to emphasize how adaptation is highly location specific and requires a lot of ground data from local health monitoring systems, which is unfeasible due to the high cost currently associated with such technology. Moreover, Bernardi expresses concern over the gradually dwindling number of meteorological observation stations that are already limited in numbers in low-income countries. Therefore, this article’s main objective is to expand upon the gaps in climate change research related to human health impact on low-income, developing countries and small island states where information necessary for an adaptation response, is lacking.  However, while clearly identifying the gaps in research literature and expressing the need for changes to make the adaptation approach more effective, Bernardi unfortunately does not propose much in how to achieve possible alternate solutions at a lower cost.

David Suzuki Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2010, from

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/indexb.php

Recognized as a leader in sustainable ecology, David Suzuki co-funded the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) and its website is included as a resource to offer another Canadian perspective on climate change action.  The website focuses on four main issues, climate change, human health, oceans, and wildlife/habitat and under each section there are useful links subdividing each issue category into details on the foundation’s projects, how to take action, and some background information on the science and Canadian policies. One con regarding the website’s section on climate change is the introductory focus on global warming, which has been noted earlier in this bibliography as only one component influencing climate change.  In addition, similar to Bernardi (2008) which is the first resource listed, DSF also draws its scientific bases for action from the assessment reports published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  However, the DSF website also acknowledges a contrasting opinion, namely the skeptics of climate change, and presents a list of resources with supplementary information.  This resource also reflects the participatory and proactive nature of the foundation from sharing news and articles to giving suggestions for what to do.  I also noticed that one of DSF’s latest projects to celebrate the foundation’s 20^th anniversary is asking the community to create music to be shared with the public, which is a good example of environmental arts.

Davidson, E. A. (2001). You can’t eat GNP: Economics as if ecology mattered. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.

Borrowed from Catherine Etmanski, this book by Davidson (2001) offers a critical analysis on how to create sustainability by re-thinking the relationship between economics and the environment, basing the premise of his argument on the inextricable link between human activity and the condition of our natural world: “the economic system will fail if the ecological system is not carefully managed...[and] a failed economic system creates desperate people who will destroy the ecological system” (p. 8). Mainly, I found this book to be an interesting complement by specifically connecting our course readings and topics to economic theories. For example, Davidson references Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons (p. 131) in his discussion of water security and suggests that possible future solutions will need economic as well as regulatory incentives for both users and polluters alike. Overall, Davidson delivers a thought-provoking critique that can be understood by both non-scientists and non-economists.  Although, it is important to note that the arguments presented cover more breadth of topics rather than depth. Therefore, Davidson’s twenty pages of notes in the back of the book can be a valuable resource with additional explanations, references, suggested readings for more in-depth information on certain topics that may be of interest, and even opposing viewpoints.  Davidson encourages a bottom-up approach to sustainability that cultivates informed decision-making, from his suggestion of lending this book (p. 202) to critically analyzing our own habits. Overall, this resource serves as an engaging introduction to “ecological economics” (p.14), which is based upon the idea that a healthy environment and ecological management practices can yield economic incentives and prosperous economies.

Furgal, C., & Seguin, J. (2006). Climate change, health, and vulnerability in Canadian northern Aboriginal communities [Mini-Monograph]. Environmental Health Perspectives,114(12), 1964-1970.

This resource is included to specifically present the health impacts of climate change on Canada’s northern Aboriginal peoples, many of whom still commonly practice parts of the traditional land-based lifestyle and witness first-hand the effects of climate change on the environment. The climate-related impacts on Aboriginal health range from decreased access to main country food sources, like caribou and geese, to hunting and fishing safety concerns due to reported increases in uncharacteristic weather patterns (p. 1966).  Furgal & Seguin reviewed two projects and found that Aboriginal communities’ understanding and ability to respond to climatic changes were enhanced through participatory, community-based and dialogue-focused approaches. Chapin (2005) provides insight into the dichotomy of enhancing this baseline knowledge of Aboriginal communities by recognizing how generational sharing of local or traditional knowledge faces the challenge of the westernized lifestyle which involves more time spent on indoor wage-based economic activities (as cited in Furgal & Seguin, 2006).  Similar to the Bernardi (2008) article found earlier in this bibliography, Furgal and Seguin clearly identify gaps in the current literature, such as the lack of information assessing the health vulnerability of Aboriginal communities. However, unlike the Bernardi article, this resource is able to offer useful discussion evaluating the advantages and challenges of locally appropriate adaptive strategies that are more proactive rather than reactive.  In conclusions, Frugal and Seguin suggest that their assessment of a community-based, dialogue-focused approach may prove useful in regions other than Canada’s northern Aboriginal communities. However, Furgal and Seguin do preface their recommendation of such an approach by noting that research actually evaluating the effectiveness of current strategies is very limited.

Guggenheim, D. (Director). (2006). An Inconvenient Truth [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Classics.

Despite the film’s inherent bias, I found that this resource listed in our course syllabus might be useful in encouraging a sense of social consciousness about climate change, specifically in regards to the role and responsibility of human activity in impacting global warming trends.  Granted there are many critics and rebuttals of Al Gore’s presentation in this documentary as it is influenced by Gore’s personal anecdotes and reflections. However, as Davidson (2001) remarks in his book, which is included earlier in this bibliography, we need to be careful not to get caught up in the statistics.  Otherwise, it may cause us to miss the motivations for why we strive to raise awareness and discussion—that is, to initiate action and social change.  Al Gore quotes Sir Winston Churchill by saying “we are entering a period of consequences,” and takes his argument beyond politics to contend that the issue of sustainability to be an issue of morality and ethics as well.  This resource and the other by Ross (2009) that is also included in this bibliography could be used to provide additional insight into our initial in-class discussions of ethics. To offer a more unbiased view of the scientific claims made in the film by Al Gore, there is a National Geographic news article[1] that can be used to provide additional understanding and a contrasting perspective. Overall, I found this resource to deliver a critical analysis of our collective behaviour and consequences of consumption, persuasively instigating reflection that the way we exploit the Earth has immeasurable and uncertain consequences for generations in the future.

Heller, N. E., & Zavaleta, E. S. (2009). Biodiversity management in the face of climate change: A review of 22 years of recommendations. Biological Conservation, 142(1), 14-32.

This resource would nicely complement the other annotated bibliographies on conservation and biodiversity as it demonstrates the intersectionality needed in future policies to address climate change. Heller and Zavaleta review literature regarding climate change recommendations for biodiversity protection, focusing specifically on adaptation strategies in response to climate change in contrast to the mitigation strategies discussed by the guest speakers, Rod and Lorenzo, on our first day of class. To succinctly summarize Heller and Zavaleta’s review, there is a table organizing all 524 recommendations cited from all 113 sources examined.  The two most frequent recommendations found were to improve landscape connectivity through methods of land conservation so that species can move and to adapt and integration of climate change into existing conservation management plans with mitigation of other threats, like invasive species and pollution, being third.  Of the article’s findings, I found it interesting and noteworthy that even though landscape connectivity is widely acknowledged, Heller and Zavaleta also found it is also “the most poorly developed recommendation, limited mainly to very general actions” (p. 25).  I feel this resource has identified important gaps by its review of past literature, and in particular, the need for a more holistic landscape approach to conservation that integrates ecology with other social sciences, which is particularly relevant to our course discussion of intersectionality in ecological leadership. Moreover, in terms of developing effective praxis, the criticism raised by the authors concerning the lack of specific actions executing recommended strategies[2] is also valuable as a future reference.

IPCC: Intergovernmental panel on climate change. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2010, from http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm/

I included the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) website because some of its assessment reports and publications have been cited in other resources, such as by Bernardi (2008) included in this annotated bibliography.  Established in 1988 through the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the IPCC can be seen as a collective scientific endeavour to provide knowledge and guidelines regarding climate change. In other words, IPCC does not conduct independent research like the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), which is another resource included in this bibliography and in the course syllabus, but rather it reviews published peer-reviewed scientific literature compiled from hundreds of scientists and experts from around the world.  IPCC is mainly recognized for its extensive assessment, methodology, and special reports (all available online in PDF format) on the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to climate change, as well as its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is important to note that all drafts of reports and summaries are also reviewed once by IPCC member governments, currently consisting of 194 countries. Therefore, even though each government is at its own discretion of how to review report drafts, the direct involvement of many governments suggest that IPCC assessment reports have the potential to be extremely influential in international action and policy-making regarding global climate change. To address possible bias, limitations and gaps in IPCC assessment reports, the InterAcademy Council has very recently (May 2010) been requested to conduct an independent review of the processes and procedures of IPCC.  Currently, the most recent published assessment report is IPCC’s fourth assessment on climate change released in 2007, which is also the year IPCC received the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore, while the fifth assessment report is scheduled for completion for sometime between 2013 and 2014. 

Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2010, from

http://www.pics.uvic.ca/

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) is a collaborative effort, hosted and led by the University of Victoria and working in partnership with the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Northern British Columbia. In contrast to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also annotated in this bibliography, PICS assesses literature yet also conducts research on both adaptation and mitigation that is “BC-relevant but not necessarily BC-centric.” Moreover, PICS also organizes community outreach and educational initiatives in order to communicate research findings.  In this respect, the PICS approach is similar to the community-based, dialogue-focused projects reviewed by Furgal and Seguin (2006) in this bibliography.  For instance, FuturGrid Forum is the current PICS project and reflects a collaborative effort to bridge knowledge, communication and action through World Café style dialogue (http://www.theworldcafe.com), which is a rotating roundtable discussion forum to facilitate an organic conversational process.  I found this particularly interesting because I have previously designed workshops using the World Café format and felt that it could be a useful tool for fellow educators in this course. In addition, many of the PICS reports and discussion papers available online through the website can serve as additional valuable resources in revealing current local action and direction towards sustainable development.

Ross, A. (2009). Modern interpretations of sustainable development. Journal of Law & Society, 36(1), 32-54.

This resource adds another point of view to expand upon the relationship between economics and sustainable development that also provides a nice complement to Davidson’s book included in this bibliography.  Rather than the traditional definition of economics where profit is ultimately the desired end product, Ross argues that future sustainable development needs to be redefined as a process that places emphasis on determining our ecological limits first before considering how to take any action in response.  Granted, this is has proved problematic and limited due to generalized direction of objectives that neglects to prioritize concrete action—a gap which Ross acknowledges. However, despite identifying the need for more leadership and suggesting ways to reframe how sustainable development can be achieved, some of Ross’ conclusions may be over-simplistic.  For example, suggestions simply calling upon less use of energy or using economic penalties to decrease consumption may be too focused on treating the symptoms rather than the underlying cause.  Ecological sustainability is more than just balancing conflicts of interest; it is also about having long-term foresight. In addition, I found Ross’ suggestion of using the legal system to shape policies and enact social change especially interesting by linking Rees’ concept of the ‘ecological footprint’ to Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons: “ecosystems don’t obey the rules of private property” (p. 38).   Overall, Ross’ legal background and knowledge brings an interesting perspective that expands upon our class discourse on the role of ethics in developing sustainable ecological approaches, which in the article is predominantly in response to climate change.

Zerriffi, H., & Wilson, E. (2010). Leapfrogging over development? Promoting rural renewable for climate change mitigation. Energy Policy, 38, 1689-1700.

To provide a comparison to the adaptation approach in response to climate change, I’ve included this resource that analyzes how renewable energy sources might be able to mitigate climate change while also meeting the energy needs in rural areas.  Zerriffi and Wilson discuss how to use this opportunity to provide cost-effective green energy for countries with developing economies, and thus avoid the fossil-fuel path of current industrialized countries, could be encouraged in various rural regions. To do so, this resource evaluated the policy designs of renewable energy projects implemented by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in order to examine whether or not developmental costs of projects could effectively while also inexpensively achieve its environmental goals. In other words, can the future of sustainable development create “cheap mitigation” (p.1684), which is the desired outcome for GEF projects.  Unfortunately the data analysis from the research conducted was unable to provide any conclusive finding. However, Zerriffi and Wilson were able to suggest that when money was being divided between the interests of project developmental goals and global environmental goals, the majority of the GEF projects diverted money to meet the environmental goals.  I found this resource to be a noteworthy follow-up to one of the included resources that advocates re-thinking the concept of ecological sustainability by prioritizing the needs of the environment (Ross, 2009).  

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[1] This article can be found on the National Geographic website here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060524-global-warming.html

[2] The uncertainty of climate change in the future is also important in considering recommendation strategies; therefore, while it is not included in this bibliography, the Metafuture website (http://www.metafuture.org/) from our course syllabus can provide interesting insight on the relationship between our state of mind and future action

Biodiversity and Seed Saving

        Biodiversity and seed saving are complex topics which require a varied cross-section of materials to begin to comprehend the depth and breadth of the issues involved. The following annotated bibliography presents a combination of resources including readings, films and websites.      

        When researching biodiversity resources, it is important note that biodiversity and cultural diversity are not mutually exclusive, but interconnected and complex topics, and were researched together. The topics are interconnected to the extent that studying one without the other does not give the justice deserved to either. Since this understanding is only a recent claim, there is still much to be learned about the dynamics of how the two areas of biodiversity are connected; especially with the multitude of circumstances in which the two are “inextricably linked” (Persic & Martin, 2008, p.8).                                                                                       

        Introducing the vocabulary associated with biodiversity and seed saving also grants a deeper understanding of the topics, and helps readers to become more familiar with the related terms to better understand the material in the annotated bibliography. The following list contains some of the key terms to understand before delving into the readings:  

Vocabulary Related to Biodiversity and Seed Saving

·       Biodiversity ·       Biotechnologies ·       Green Revolution ·       Monocultures ·       “Terroirs et Cultures” (UNESCO) ·       Biological and cultural diversity ·       Interdisciplinary research ·       Traditional knowledge ·       Indigenous and local knowledge ·       Genetic engineering ·       Paradigm shift ·       Taxonomy ·       Conservation biogeography

·      Seed Saving ·      Seed Sovereignty ·      Endemism (rarity) ·      Convention of Biological          Diversity (1992) ·      Biopiracy ·      Agro-culture ·      Rewilding ·      Fair trade ·      Adaptation ·      Reserve planning ·      Landscape connectivity ·      Resilience ·      Global warming

Heller, N.E., & Zavaleta, E.S. (2009). Biodiversity management in the face of climate change: A review of 22 years of recommendations. Biological Conservation, 142(1), 14-32.

 

            This article focuses on biodiversity management as it relates to climate change and is a comparative analysis of 113 scientific papers published in 57 different journals and three books.  The list of 524 recommendations was sorted into 113 categories according to the number of times each recommendation was referenced in the initial papers that were analyzed.  This list of categories shows the most highly recommended principles to follow in order to manage biodiversity effectively as climate change persists.  This list is useful as it gives a ranking order of these principles and provides some specific strategies that can be implemented in any region.  These principles identify ways of thinking that communities can adapt to affect positive actions in protecting ecosystems.  The areas needed for adaptive thinking include conservation, research, policy planning, governance, and individual and community actions.  The practical applications are not included in this article; however, the article does describe the various complexities, including benefits and barriers, needed to be considered in order to make effective adaptations. All of these adaptations can be grouped into four major themes including:  regional coordination, management perspectives and system resilience, climate change research in planning, addressing major threats and global change drivers.               

        Planning for adaptations requires a clear and thoughtful process to be followed. Figure 7 in this article presents a clear visual framework for considering all of the complexities involved in this process. This article emphasizes that over the past 22 years many recommendations have been put forth to stimulate climate change action; however, most of the papers written with this focus have lacked the specific actions that can be implemented directly in any community. It goes on to say that most of the research in the past has largely focused on ecological data, and has overlooked cultural data. As seen in other resources included in this annotated bibliography, researchers are now stating that both biodiversity and cultural diversity must be studied together in order to fully understand both and to give each the recognition deserved. On a positive note, the article did state that many of the recommendations are being followed by government and non-governmental organizations currently.

  

International Development Research Centre. (1994). Seeds of Change: An Educational Kit on Biodiversity and Food.  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:  IDRC.  [UVIC Library HD9000.5 S435]

             

            This video and teaching guide provides an excellent method for introducing the concept of biodiversity and its importance for preserving varieties of seeds around the world.  The video also presents the complexities of food issues in the world in a way that is accessible, engages and inspires students. The teacher’s guide provides a great deal of useful information including:  a glossary of important terms to know, background information on the history of agriculture and how it has been affected by genetic erosion (including the Green Revolution), lesson ideas and teaching points, and Canada’s role in creating solutions to the food issues facing the world.  The video and guide also emphasize the connection between women and biodiversity and how the knowledge in this area needs to be given more recognition.  The guide includes an academic paper entitled, “Biotechnology, patents and the Third World” (Fowler, 1992), which explains how technological advances in agriculture and patenting trade secrets has affected farmers in developing nations.  This paper, in conjunction with the video, gives the reader some insightful knowledge about the patent systems for food and pharmaceuticals; and how intellectual property rights and protection play a distinct role in the control of seeds, and ultimately, the food supply.

            The video describes how biodiversity is an issue tied to economics, politics and social concerns. It describes how biodiversity in the plant world is highly connected to indigenous knowledge, yet the loss of this cultural knowledge is happening at a rate even higher then the loss of biodiversity. Present rates of extinction is causing “as many as 60, 000 plant species – one-fourth of the world’s total” to be “lost or endangered within the next 50 years” (1991, p.3).  Another important point made was that with the higher-yielding crops come fewer options for farmers, increased costs, and a decrease in overall health. Traditional seeds had slower growth without fertilizer, but had inherent designs to withstand disease without the need for additional pesticides. 

            The guide also provides an extensive list of resources and suggested readings. Permission to copy the entire document is stated within the guide.  The use of this resource naturally led to checking out the IDRC website for the most up-to-date information.  This is a comprehensive site that houses a variety of research on important topics including biodiversity and seed saving. The guide is no longer available on the main website, but can be accessed at the University of Victoria’s main library.

Juan, A. (Producer), Robin, M. (Director).  (2008). [The] World According to Monsanto:  From Dioxin to Genetically Modified Crops [Motion picture].  Canada:  National Film Board.  [UVIC Library HD9651.9 M6W67]

 

            This documentary film focuses on the agricultural multinational company, Monsanto, and the effects it has on the agricultural industry and our food supply. The film begins by showing how Monsanto claims to be a company devoted to helping improve agricultural practices for the greater good. It then takes viewers behind-the-scenes to look at Monsanto’s deceptive marketing, and ability to control a very powerful monopoly within the agricultural industry. 

            Historically, Monsanto has used several toxic chemicals in its products, including Agent Orange, PCBs, Dioxin, and Bovine Growth Hormone. Monsanto is originally a chemical company, hence the reason for using toxic chemicals in their agricultural products.  Most recently, Monsanto is responsible for creating Round-Up, and has used genetic modification to produce “Round-Up ready crops”.  An issue presented in the film is that the toxicity of Round-Up has been hidden by false advertisements of its biodegradability, a tactic used to protect the GMO research.  The biodegradable claim has since been removed; however, collaboration of the FDA and the leaders of the Federal Government in the United States led to unregulated GMO research because of economic and political benefits. In the1990s, Monsanto was allowed to move products into the marketplace without restrictive governmental regulations.  In fact, George Bush Sr., in a conversation with Monsanto scientists about marketing products said, “Call me, we’re in the ‘dereg’ business.”  As a result, through the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, GM crops are thriving and taking over traditional seed crops.  The film demonstrates this point well by showing the traditional and indigenous farming practices in various parts of the world including Europe, India, Mexico, and Paraguay compared to the highly industrial Round-Up ready practices of many American farmers. 

            The film also includes an interview with world-renowned scientist, Vandana Shiva, where she describes to Monsanto’s control on the agricultural marketplace as the 2^nd Green Revolution, with a focus on patents and profits. It briefly introduces the viewer to her book, Seeds of Suicide, written about poor Indian cotton farmers who commit suicide due to crop failure and financial issues, all of which revolves around the push from multinationals to use their products.  The World According to Monsanto highlights the degree to which corporate power has become a huge force within our food supply system.

Lovick, O. (Ed.) & Riise, H. (Webmaster).  (n.d.).  Svalbard Global Seed Vault.  Retrieved on June 6, 2010 from http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/campain/svalbard-global-seed-vault.html?id=462220 

 

            The website for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway provides extensive information about the history, activities and publications of the organization.  The seed vault is the largest of its kind in the world, and is being used as the main store house for global seed saving.  At the opening of the vault on February 26, 2008, Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg said, “A global seed vault is necessary to provide a safe haven in the permafrost of Svalbard for the world’s biological diversity. It is a Noah’s Ark for our biological heritage”.  This vault is also known as the “Doomsday Vault” as it is being used to prepare for any natural disaster or other world-wide crisis that would create a large-scale food supply shortage in the world. 

              The website includes news stories from before the opening of the vault to the present, the partners involved, a description of the facility, how it is managed and operated, the history of the vault, the location choice, and frequently asked questions.  There is a great deal of information about seed saving and the site also links users to related publications and resources.  Choosing the location for the vault required the consideration of climate change effects and security.  The vault has been designed with specific conditions to keep the seeds viable for potentially one thousand years.  However, posting specific details of the vault’s location, the materials from which it is made, and the engineering is slightly questionable.  Since the need for food security is emphasized on the site, it is surprising that information that could lead to potential terrorist threats is considered safe to post on-line.

Navdanya Web site. (2009). Retrieved May 23, 2010 from http://www.navdanya.org/

 

            “Navdanya means nine crops that represent India's collective source of food security” (Shiva, 2009).  Navdanya is a women-based biodiversity conservation program in India that was started by Dr. Vandana Shiva, a world-renowned scientist and environmentalist.  Dr. Shiva initiated this program as a way of preserving biodiversity in a local, respectful, and peaceful way.  She was inspired to create this program to protect local Indian farmers and their traditional techniques from the violence and greed that stems from larger scale agricultural companies and practices. Navdanya is committed to revitalizing indigenous knowledge and culture, fighting against biopiracy, and continuing to stock their local seed banks in 54 communities across the country. 

            As part of this program, Navdanya established Bija Vidyapeeth – The Earth University, also known as, The School of Seed.  The university “offers a unique opportunity to explore and practice the art and science of sustainability based on ecological principles at the peaceful pollution-free setting of Navdanya's organic farm in Doon Valley [in North India]” (Shiva, 2009).  One example of the university’s efforts is demonstrated by how they were able to transform an 8-acre tract of land that had been devastated by a eucalyptus monoculture, to an area that now farms more than 600 varieties of local plants.  The university also offers several courses in seed sovereignty; women, biodiversity, and traditional knowledge; food security related to climate change; and, Ghandi’s philosophy related to globalization.

            Navdanya promotes local, organic farming as the most effective way to reduce the human impact on climate change and to sustain biodiversity.  Teachers can use the information on this website to promote the value of farmers in our own communities. As this website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate, educators may use it to teach students about specific efforts occurring in India to conserve the biological and cultural diversity. This knowledge can then be applied to constructing plans for helping with local conservation activities in British Columbia.  Navdanya’s Diary is also a great site tool that links users to many different conservation issues.  

Persic, A. and Martin, G.  (Eds.). (2008). Links between biological and cultural diversity-concepts,  methods and experiences, Report of an International Workshop, Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved May 24, 2010 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001592/159255E.pdf

           

            This is an extensive paper written to summarize the knowledge shared at an international workshop about biological and cultural diversity and how the two are “inextricably linked” (p.8).  The paper provides excellent definitions of these terms and expands on a variety of topic areas to show the connection between biological and cultural diversity.  The topic areas include:  language and linguistic diversity, material culture, knowledge and technology, modes of subsistence, economic relations, social relations, and belief systems. The paper also provides a variety of global examples linking these two areas of diversity. The paper continues with information on conceptual considerations, methodological considerations, research implications, policy implications, and UNESCO’s role making recommendations for future work and research.

            For educators, this paper presents a well organized and easy to read document that could be used with students in grades 8-12, and at post-secondary levels.  One potential use for it in a classroom would be to divide the various parts up between the students and use a jigsaw approach to have students learn and teach about the various components. Part of this paper also provides guidance for doing research in biological and cultural diversity, and the section on suggested readings lists numerous articles that can be accessed for further understanding. The Annexes also give summaries on some of the various programs, activities, and initiatives under the UNESCO umbrella that relate to biological and cultural diversity; while describing how they are included in various international agreements.

            The main premise of this paper is to understand the interdependence of biodiversity and cultural diversity and how they need to be protected together. Interestingly, after reading Monocultures of the Mind (Shiva, 1997), followed by this paper, written in 2008, it seems that there have been significant efforts put forward in the last eleven years to protect biodiversity on the planet.  While these efforts are admirable, it is still important to note that people need to make a major paradigm shift in their thinking in order to make the changes that are essential to protecting biodiversity and cultural diversity for many generations to come.

Pimental, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D. & Seidel, R. (2005).  Environmental, energetic and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems.  BioScience 55(7), 573-582.

 

            This paper is a quantitative, objective assessment, providing a comparative analysis of organic and conventional farming systems over a 22-year period of study. The research project actually breaks the research groups into three parts including:  conventional cropping, organic animal-based cropping, and organic legume-based cropping. The main difference between the two organic systems is that the animal-based system used livestock as part of the study, and the legume-based system did not. The main purpose of this research was to look at how conventional farming techniques could be incorporated into organic techniques to make farming more sustainable over the long term.

            The comparative analysis included many different aspects of research including:  crop yields, normal rainfall, drought conditions, energy inputs, economics, soil carbon, soil nitrogen, nitrate leaching, herbicide leaching, and soil biology. The paper discusses the challenges and limitations of organic farming, but concludes with the argument that organic farming techniques are an essential tool towards sustainability. It reflects on the knowledge that many of these techniques have been used for over 6,000 years; demonstrating sustainability by conserving precious resources and producing yields that are comparable to those of conventional farming.  In addition, the practice of organic farming techniques encourages crop rotations and cover cropping which makes organic crops more naturally resistant to disease.

            In terms of teaching, this paper would be most useful for educators to understand the basic differences between conventional and organic farming systems before conducting a unit or lesson on this topic. However, the use of this paper in a non-university school setting is not recommended due to its highly technical nature as it may be difficult for many students to understand. Having the scientific evidence to draw upon can help educators to support the argument for organic farming, which would make for a more powerful lesson overall.

 

Seeds of Diversity Web site. (2010). Retrieved on May 26, 2010 from http://www.seeds.ca/en.php

“Seeds of Diversity is a Canadian volunteer organization that conserves the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of food crops and garden plants.”

            This website is very user friendly and focuses on practical actions that people can take to save seeds to preserve biodiversity in Canada.  Their slogan is “People protecting the people’s seeds”.  Although most of the information available concerns the actual seed saving, it also emphasizes public involvement to promotes be in control of the varieties of seeds that have been grown, and to protect these seeds through seed saving and sharing.  Seeds of Diversity states two main objectives involving heirloom and endangered species of seeds: Firstly, to research these seeds to gain as much information as possible about each, and secondly, to educate the public on the need to save seeds and the techniques on how to do so. They also provide a forum for people to get involved in projects and exchanges. The website also has a comprehensive database for heritage plants and lists 19,000 cultivars with descriptions and links to the varieties available in Canada. By navigating through this site, a reader can be connected to many different sites that promote preserving biodiversity through buying, selling, and trading local organic seeds. The Seeds of Diversity website is clear about purposefully linking to sites that are not connected to genetically modified seed programs.

            On the home page of the site under the Library and Introduction, there is a simple, yet powerful slide show entitled, “Seed Library Partnership” that would be useful for teaching students about the need to save seeds. It shows how the rapid decline of locally adapted varieties of seeds has brought us to a point where only 10% of the original varieties of seeds are available. The message is clear: we are running out of time to save ourselves from a world-wide food crisis.

 

Shiva, Vandana. (1997).  Monocultures of the Mind:  Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology. New York, NY:  Zed Books Ltd. 

            This book is a compilation of five essays focused on monocultures, biodiversity, and biotechnologies written from Vandana Shiva’s extensive research and travel experience studying these issues in various parts of the world. The five essays make up each chapter of the book and provide the reader with a wealth of background information on the different topics.  Throughout the five essays, Shiva reiterates the main points within different contexts, allowing the reader to become more absorbed in the topic, and therefore; develop a deeper understanding of the negative effects monocultures have on biodiversity.

            Shiva argues that monocultures begin in the minds of people who are only focused on money and power, and who are in the position to assert themselves in this way. The narrow focus of the monoculture philosophy then transfers from the minds of those in powerful positions, to their practice of developing monocultures in various ecosystems around the world.  They focus on monocultures with high yielding varieties (HYV), as they are only interested in the profits and power that such monocultures can yield in the short term. There is little or no regard for how their practices affect the lives and livelihoods of the people living in that locality. Generally speaking, countries in the Majority are most affected by the ecological exploitation of monocultures due to the abundance of biodiversity occurring in more tropical and poverty stricken areas of the world.  This constant erosion of biodiversity stems from the TINA mindset – “there is no alternative” (p.5).

            By promoting the necessity of conserving biodiversity, Shiva states that “conservation of diversity is, above all, the production of alternatives, of keeping alive alternative forms of production” (p.6).  Biologically diverse areas are sustainable because the life forms within it work symbiotically to maintain and nurture itself. She also describes how local and traditional knowledge of any given region is much more comprehensive than the understanding that the monoculture mindset brings.  She provides an extensive number of examples of agricultural practices and how mixed farming systems thrive with biodiversity.  In contrast, the ‘Green Revolution’ monoculture crops are narrowly focused on fast-growth and high-yields, while the need for biodiversity is disregarded. Shiva strongly supports the impetus to protect biodiversity in the various ecosystems around the world stating that we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis of which we all will be affected sooner or later.

            This book is useful for teachers who are interested in gaining more background knowledge for themselves before teaching a unit on biodiversity to students. The majority of the book would not be appropriate for high school students, given the reading level; however, teachers could use some of the tables within it to summarize information for students.

 

UNESCO Web site. (2010, May).  Natural Sciences Section.  Retrieved May 22, 2010 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

 

            This is a highly comprehensive and dynamic website that provides a great deal of current, globally oriented information hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. There are several subsections under the biodiversity theme including:  Science and Policy, Biological and Cultural Diversity, Education, and Great Apes. Within each section there are related links, documents, and news sites. 

            UNESCO also focused on making 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.  The international biodiversity target that was set for 2010 has not been met at this time, but there are several projects, conferences and research projects taking place to determine and implement actions to address the biodiversity crisis at a global scale. The crisis is that biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate and has, and will continue to have, a severe impact on human life and activities. 

            With 2010 being a focus year for protecting biodiversity, more efforts were put forth to protect and access indigenous and local knowledge. This step is essential to the protection and conservation of biodiversity as people living close to the land in any given area have a deeper understanding of the intricacies of their local ecosystems. Through collaborative planning at international conferences and continued connections, specific recommendations have been made to work together towards conserving biodiversity, and in particular, those life forms that are on the verge of extinction. The importance of connecting biodiversity science with local and global policy decision-making is also being recognized more in papers and policy recommendations on the site.

            In terms of teaching tools, this website provides educators with a variety of different approaches from which to plan a unit or lesson. There is also great deal of background information about biodiversity and cultural diversity in a variety of papers and related links. One important note is that in October 2010, there was an international meeting in Nagano, Japan, regarding the Convention of Biological Diversity. At this meeting there was the launch of a Biodiversity Learning Kit.  This “educational kit on biodiversity [is] for teachers and trainers to raise awareness and educate young and wider public audiences through an easy-to-use and appealing tool.”  For teachers with little background in this area, the kit is a great introduction and a good resource to begin lesson planning.

 

Additional Recommended References:

Cheney, I. & Ellis, C. (Co-Producers). (2006). King Corn:You are what you eat [Motion Picture]. USA: Mosaic Films Incorporated.

Nadudvari, T. (Producer/Co-Director) & Curry, A. (Co-Director). (2006). Bad Seed: The truth about our  food. [Motion Picture]. Venice, CA:  UFO Video, Incorporated.

Pollan, M. (2006). The omnivore’s dilemma: A natural history of four meals: New York: Penguin Press.

Springbett, D. (Producer/Director). (2008). Hijacked Future: Who controls the seed, controls the food [Motion picture]. Victoria, BC: Ashnan Films.