Conservation of Biodiversity (SL IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Discuss the effectiveness of habitat-based and species-based approaches to protecting biodiversity.

The western lowland gorilla, Gorilla gorilla, has become an endangered species.

Explain how captive breeding programmes may help in the protection of endangered species, such as the western lowland gorilla.

Identify three disadvantages of captive breeding programmes.

The tree species Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) has a sticky lining of its bark that has long been used in North America, as a traditional remedy for coughs, gastrointestinal ailments, and skin irritations.

The slippery elm was traditionally used seasonally by locals, but is now in demand by millions across the world. Slippery elm wood has no commercial value, so the trees are stripped of their bark and then left to die.

State two reasons why the Slippery elm species should be conserved.

Many plant and animal species are protected by the treaty known as CITES.

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One such endemic species is the central rock rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus).

Michael Barritt & Karen May, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

This species is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN because when they were last assessed there were only 800 mature individuals in total within 10 fragmented subpopulations in central Australia. 

In the past, captive breeding programmes have been attempted for this species, but are not currently taking place.

Scientists must be very careful when carrying out captive breeding programmes for very small populations such as this one.i

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One of the reasons the programme ended was because scientists were concerned about the safety of the individuals released back into the wild.

Outline three reasons why a habitat-based conservation approach may be more successful in conserving biodiversity in the long term compared to an individual species-based approach.