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Why Nature Matters
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More Information: EcoResilience Initiative
Belief:
Beauty imbues life with meaning. Nature is a unique kind of beauty we evolved with. Some of its beauty comes from being nonhuman, and cannot be reproduced.
Many traditions look to nature for the sublime
Examples
Maldives
Hawaii
Niagra Falls
"Extraordinarily beautiful living things and places"
Pros:
- Simple human experience of desire and sublime.
- Seems to be mostly intrinsic and static
4% of all mammals
world wide are wild
74% of all land is modified
by humans
Belief:
The natural
world ought to
have its own space and resources to live as it chooses.
Self-willed Nature. Nature for Nature's sake.
Examples
Sahara
Russian Tundra
South China Karst
"Nature which has not been disrupted by
humans"
Pros:
- Clear definition, few remaining locations
- Can provide a reference for restoring degraded landscapes
"A better life for creatures in the wild"
"Providing the natural world with the same kinds of luxuries we built for ourselves."
Belief:
If they could, animals would also build shelters and grow food for themselves. We escaped the hardships of nature and we should offer animals better lives too.
"Providing the natural world with the same kinds of luxuries we built for ourselves."
Examples
Animals often lack basic shelter and clean water.
Just because they cannot invent technology is not a reason to withhold it from them.
enrichment
water, shelter, and food
comfort
health
In this model, morality is not limited to suffering of species
"Providing the natural world with the same kinds of luxuries we built for ourselves."
Examples
enrichment
water, shelter, and food
comfort
health
watering holes, bird feeders, nest boxes, bee bricks
air conditioning, pools, nest material
hamster wheels, mirrors, trampolines
animal hospitals
Many species play with toys when given the chance!
"Providing the natural world with the same kinds of luxuries we built for ourselves."
Play is present across the animal classes. There are examples of reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals.
"Reducing suffering from nature."
Belief:
Suffering is bad, even if it is natural. We have the ability to make the world better.
"Reducing suffering from nature."
Examples
Animals regularly die horribly to preventable disease and starvation
Most animals die when they are young
Disease Treatment
Humane Birth Control
Reduce Natural Disasters
In this model, morality is based on individual experience
Climate change, neurology, evolution, sanitation, CRISPR, chemistry, DNA,
social science,
paleoclimates,
antibiotics,
agriculture,
pain killers,
architecture,
soft robotics,
bioremediation,
material science,
language formation, adaptation potential,
population dynamics, altruism, hydrodynamics
Economies of scale,
swarm intelligence, longevity research, cancer resistence, areodynamics,
disease modeling,
memory, sight,
smell, hearing,
gene drives,
biochemistry,
game theory,
communication,
nutrient cycling,
radiation resistence,
general intelligence,
disaster recovery, extaterrestrial survival,
Some families of plants have high concentrations of pharmaceutical properties.
Belief: Insight and understanding of our world, and where we came from is important.
The scientific field dedicated to using nature as inspiration for technological advancement.
Drastic changes in elevation allow us to anticipate the effects of climate change. We can study the migration of species, behavioral and genetic adaptations.
Many closely positioned lakes allow for controlled experiments on whole-ecosystems with replications. Removing predators, adding nutrients, etc.
Figure 1. Heatmap depicting the distribution of use records among plant families and the addressed troubles/systems. Abbreviations, as quoted in the figure, are as follows. CB, circulatory system and blood disorders; PI, pain and inflammations; DN, digestives system and nutritional disorders; P, poisoning; EM, endocrine system and metabolic disorders; PBP, pregnancy, birth and puerperal disorders; G, genitourinary system disorders; II, infections and infestations; IN, immune system disorders and neoplasia; NM, nervous system and mental disorders; MT, musculoskeletal system disorders and traumas; SS, skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders; R, respiratory system disorders; S, sensory system disorders; TR, tonic and restorative.
"At risk populations or unusual traits"
Belief:
Unique interactions between organisms are precious, not only the organisms themselves. Species need intact habitats to be able to thrive in the wild.
"Rare combinations of habitats."
Examples
27% of habitats are threatened or endangered. Preserving rare of habitats is an important part of preserving nature.
Pitch Pine Dunes in Maine
Artemisia frigida grassland, Inner Mongolia,
Extinction focused
on the environment-level is closer to preserving the experience of being in nature.
Belief:
28% of species are threatened with extinction. Genetic priortization can keep more of the tree of life intact.
"Rare genetics with only a few members on the evolutionary tree"
Examples
Prioritizing species to ensure the least amount of diversity is lost.
Coelocanths: 1 species left in the Order
Socotra:
300 endemic plants, 30 endemic reptiles, 6 endemic birds, 650 endemic insects, and 90 endemic snails
Torreya: 6 species left in the Family
- highly objective, measurable
- comparable across the world
"Rare genetics with only a few members on the evolutionary tree"
Phylogenetics measures which species are the last of their kind. Prioritizing evolutionary distinctiveness is a method to ensure the least amount of diversity is lost.
"Rare genetics with only a few members on the evolutionary tree"
EDGE is a metric measuring Evolutionary Distinctiveness and Global Endangeredness.
STAR is a metric measuring Species Threat Abatement and Restoration potential. (Tractability)
"Variety of life"
Species Biodiverity
Many species in one area
Total species is relatively easy to measure.
Example Locations
Biodiversity hotspots are 2.3% of Earth
Most plants in a biodiversity hotspot are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else on Earth.
44% of the plants and 35% of vertebrates are in these zones
Amazon Rainforest
Madagascar
Indo-Burma
Madagascar has struggled to balance its world-class natural resources with increasing pressure from farming, fuel cutting, and high-value timber. A worrying development has been the fracturing of conservation authority. While more land area is now "protected" it is uncertain if these areas can resist deforestation. The main bottleneck in Madagascar is enforcement and governance.
Read More ...
Important Madagascar Protected Areas:
Masoala National Park
Ankarafantsika Nat'l Park
Midongy du sud Nat'l Park
Tsingy de Bemaraha Nat'l Park
Tsimanampetsotsa Nat'l Park
Marojejy Nat'l Park
Kirindy Mitea Nat'l Park
Amazon Collapse:
Fragmentation:
Learn More:
Fragmentation has an outsized impact on biodiversity, as rainforest animals are hardwired not to enter even road-size gaps.
Who protects the Amazon.
Distance from Edge:
Effect:
0m
The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse place on earth. It is currently suffering from two major threats: Climate Change and Logging, which are both exacerbating fires.
CO2 increase is the primary driver. It heats up and dries out the forest more than deforestation. Climate Change affects the Amazon more than other tropical locations. There is a danger it will shift rainforest to savannah by increasing fires feedback effects.
Small mammals unaffected, frogs benefit, forest butterflies decrease
What would it cost to save the Amazon.
80m
Insectivorous birds disappear
2400m
A Detailed Review of what went wrong in the Amazon
Fires increase
500,000m
Large mammals, some birds and insects disappear
Current climate change is not enough to cause the Amazon to collapse, but with 20 -30% logging of the rainforest, the danger is real. Logging has increased enormously in the last few years due to policy changes in Brazil.
Nakai Nam Theun is one of the last contiguous forest wilderness in Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Protected in 2019 it contians several forest types including cloud forest. Wildlife poaching is the largest threat. Nakai Nam Theun still contains 100 mammals including several rare large ones such as muntjac, asian elephant, saola and pangolin as well as 400 species of bird.
Read More ...
Some conservation organizations active in the region:
Biome Biodiverity
Places with the highest habitat variety
Belief:
Places with many habitats are some of the most stunning places on earth. They often support interesting combinations of species thriving in unusual circumstances.
The interactions between organisms are important, not just the organisms themselves.
Species alone aren't enough. We want a diversity of habitats.
Biome Biodiverity
Places with the highest habitat variety
Focuses on preserving all kinds of landscapes.
Examples
Hyrcanian forests
Sacred Himalayas
Uunartoq hotsprings
Belief:
Our society depends on underlying resources and systems in the natural world. We need ecosystem services to be plentiful and reliable for our quality of life to remain high.
Nature's true value is discounted in our current economy
It's about 41 trillion, or 55% of earth's total GDP
"Natural processes which are beneficial for other species (including us)"
Predictable Seasons
Insect Population
Flood Prevention
Bioremediation
Reduced Fires
Soil Nutrients
Pollination
Sanitation
Soil pH
Grazing Land
Water Cycling
UV Protection
Salinity Balance
Waste Processing
Rodent Population
Landslide Prevention Nutrient Cycles (N, P, K)
Ecosystem Services are a bridge between human activities and the natural world. Right now they are often invisible "externalities"
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Carbon Sequestration
Drought Reduction
Disaster Recovery
Oxygen Provision
Erosion Control
Genetic Library
Fish stocks
Timber
Air Quality
Fresh Water
Storm Buffering
Sunlight Intensity
Disease Reduction
Agricultural Output
Heavy Metal Removal
Temperature Regulation
Examples
"Living in harmony with nature"
The aim is to increase human interactions with nature, learning to live in harmony
Belief:
There was great wisdom in the ways we discarded as "outdated." Intentions that were too longterm to be visible.
The aim is to increase human interactions with nature, learning to live in harmony
Examples
We have made terrible sacrifices for convenience and lost something important.
First Nations University of Canada
Wildtending
Fiji Culture Village, Bhoramdeo Jungle Retreat
- proven methods
- low impact, accomodates humans and nature
- cultural heritage
"Civilization in harmony with nature through technology"
Belief:
We have the
technology to have it all. Including living in harmony
with nature. The best possible future is a green one where everything thrives.
"Civilization in harmony with nature through technology"
Examples
There is nothing inherently wrong with human invention. We can contribute to nature and peacefully cohabitate more than ever before.
Engineering with Nature
Eco Resorts:
Bambu Indah Monte Verde
De-extinction
EcoVillages and Earthships
Our power to do good has increased, not decreased.