State of Endangered Species 2008
Speakers' topics
Position Statement on Climate Change
Allison Alberts, Ph.D.
Zoological Society of San Diego
As stewards dedicated to the conservation of wildlife around the world, the Zoological Society of San Diego recognizes the substantial and persuasive data on global climate change and its ramifications for endangered wildlife and habitats. Because there are clear and viable alternatives to help curb the emission of greenhouse gases, we commit our cooperation and resources to the following action steps:
- Expanding our efforts to implement more sustainable alternatives within our organization
- Educating others to reduce their carbon footprint
- Endorsing local, national, and international agreements to curb production of greenhouse gases
- Conducting and participating in conservation projects that address the effects of global climate change.
Climate Change and Birds
Alicia Frances King
American Bird Conservancy
The Bird Conservation Alliance is a network of organizations with a shared interest in the conservation of wild birds. Through the Alliance, millions of birdwatchers and concerned citizens are united with conservation professionals, scientists, and educators to benefit bird conservation efforts. The Alliance's goals are to work together to prevent further bird extinctions, to reverse declines in bird populations, and to assure the protection and management of sufficient habitat to effectively conserve populations of the full range of native wild bird species for the future. The Alliance serves as a forum for organizations to exchange information and ideas regarding current issues in bird conservation, assists its members in conducting collaborative advocacy, and provides resources to assist its members in their bird conservation work.
Polar Bears and Arctic Ice
George Durner
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
Polar bears Ursus maritimus depend on the terrestrial-like platform of the Arctic sea ice for their survival. The sea ice provides the medium from which polar bears can exploit the rich marine environment in the form of ringed seals Phoca hispida) and bearded seals Erignathus barbatus. Polar bears also depend on sea ice for reproduction, refuge and seasonal movements. During the previous two decades, the Arctic has experienced warming and changes in atmospheric patterns that have decreased the distribution and changed the composition of sea ice. General circulation models project continued losses of sea ice into the 21st century. This has and will likely continue to undermine polar bear sea ice habitat in most of the Arctic. Hunting opportunities will be reduced, which will impact the body condition and survival of polar bears. If climate scenarios play out, the Arctic may see a loss of two-thirds of the world's 25,000 polar bears by 2050. In this presentation, Mr. Durner will provide an overview of the U.S.G.S. reports that were used by the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to base their decision on whether to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. He will focus the presentation on polar bear habitat trends, habitat-related impacts on polar bear body condition and survival, and projections of polar bear populations into the 21st century.
Polar Bear Foraging Strategies
JoAnne Simerson
San Diego Zoo
Over the last seven years, observations have shown a number of significant changes for the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Many of the behavioral changes may be tied to changes in their environment, particularly the shrinking ice fields. Video of polar bears in the wild showing them as we remember them and as they are behaving now shows the changes in stark contrast.
Living on Fast Food: Can Big, Hungry Carnivores Survive in a Rapidly Changing World?
Terrie Williams, Ph.D.
University of California, Santa Cruz
The terms “climate change” and “habitat destruction” have become almost passé when describing the impacts of humans on the environment. Yet despite their universal use, it has been difficult to define the direct effect of such environmental impacts on many species of wild animals, or to predict which species may be especially vulnerable to human disturbance. Why is the red wolf Canis rufus listed as critically endangered while the coyote Canis latrans seems to thrive in any environment? Recently, researchers have combined animal-borne instrumentation with physiological measurements on wild carnivores to investigate how the biological profile of large mammals can predict the relative vulnerability or resiliency of a species to environmental changes. Video cameras carried by wild animals, including Weddell seals diving in the Antarctic and African lions, provide a diary of the movements and daily hunting patterns of these predators. When combined with the energetic cost of taking a step or a stroke in the pursuit of prey, researchers are able to evaluate the biological demands of finding food. In this presentation, Dr. Williams will discuss how these hunting costs are altered by environmental disturbances and are able to quickly send a large predator into the death spiral toward extinction.
Conservation of Threatened Reptiles in the Face of Global Warming
Nicola Nelson, Ph.D.
Victoria University of Wellington
Reptiles dominated for 165 million years during a period when temperatures resembled those predicted for our future as a result of climate change. Reptiles can't make their own internal heat like we do, so environmental temperatures determine how warm they are and therefore when they can be active. Life should be improving for those that have hung on through the latest cool period then, right? Dr. Nelson will discuss why this argument does not necessarily follow, especially for threatened species. She'll focus on the tuatara from New Zealand, which has its sex determined by environmental temperatures in nests, further emphasizing the impact global warming is likely to have on biodiversity.
Climate Change and Coral Reefs
Stuart Sandin, Ph.D.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
Coral reefs are suffering from the effects of climate change to such a degree that many refer to this ecosystem as the canary in the coalmine, foreboding wholesale ecological disaster across the marine world. Highlighting this peril, a dramatic shift of climate patterns in 1998 led to a massive loss of about 16 percent of the world’s coral reefs. Human activities that cause global warming have been linked to this coral loss, and further degradation is predicted. However, recent research has shown that local conservation measures can slow the loss of coral reefs due to climate change. Through the effective management of fishing and pollution, coral reefs become more resilient to the varied insults of climate change. Importantly, though, such conservation strategies simply buy us time in the preservation of coral reefs as we know them. Only with aggressive controls and effective reversals of climate change can we hope to preserve the coral reefs of today for future generations.
