Conservation biology

The Conservation Biology is a multidisciplinary applied science area that usefully addresses conservation and protection measures to the analysis of the world's existing biodiversity and its decline, and risk of the development. The bulk of the scientific disciplines forms the biology, but also elements of other areas, such as the Economic and Social Sciences, make essential ingredients from. The emergence of conservation biology is based mainly on the sharp rise in recent years, scientific, governmental and public interest in the topic of sustainability. In this regard, both the fulfillment of human needs guarantees as well as the destruction or irreversible alteration of nature is to be prevented.

In Conservation Biology and economic reviews of nature must be made, considered centuries-old cultures and their influence and further precautions are taken so that ultimately a success is achieved. To this end, elements of history, philosophy, economics, anthropology and politics are involved.

The term conservation biology is the literal translation of the introduced conservation biology as a scientific discipline in the Anglo- Saxon countries.

History

The first scientific approaches to conservation have been taken by European forestry scientists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Water pollution and forest exploitation in the colonies of the great European powers led to the first environmental laws. Later, the extinction of species has been recognized by human influences in Europe and there was a greater public awareness. First protected areas were established. In the USA, Henry David Thoreau and John Muir contributed significantly to the conservation and thoughts for Conservation Biology.

The American biologist Michael E. Soule published in 1985 as a response to the "Biological Diversity Crisis " published an article entitled What is Conservation Biology? A new synthetic discipline addresses the dynamics and problems of perturbed species, communities, and ecosystems. He is considered a pioneer of conservation biology as so-called " crisis science" and chose a clear trans -disciplinary approach. Primack published about ten years later, the standard work Conservation Biology.

Concepts and approaches

In nature concepts two basic approaches can be classified: A type can be either in situ, ie in their natural habitat or ex situ, are protected outside the natural habitat. In situ conservation involves protecting the habitat of the species itself For this approach, a number of measures can be proposed of general environmental protection (prevention of waste, toxic contaminants, etc.) to targeted hunting of predators, by which endangers the safety objective will.

Ex situ approaches are usually then followed, in large-scale destruction of habitats of a species or trade- offs within nature conservation objectives. Here zoos play as "last resorts " an important role.

Conceptually complement both approaches.

Grounds

The justification of the need for conservation biology is closely interwoven with the justifications for conservation itself Primack sees conservation as an expression of philosophical and religious value systems and points to the strong interactions of physical and spiritual connections of man with nature in many religions.

The Conservation Biology is based on certain assumptions that are not accepted by all academic research, but there is about a certain unity. These include the idea that biodiversity is fundamentally positive and the premature extinction of species and populations is generally negative. The evolution is perceived as something positive. Biodiversity has after most conservation biologists consider an intrinsic value ( a " value in itself ", also: intrinsic value ).

Important people of Conservation Biology

Important people in the development of conservation biology and conservation biologists are currently active:

  • Raymond Dasmann (* 1919, † November 5, 2002 ) already wrote in the late 1950s first conservation Biological books and developed the Bioshärenprogramm UNESCO.
  • Paul R. Ehrlich ( * May 29, 1932 ) is a professor of biology at Stanford University for ecology. He is a renowned entomologist specializing in butterflies. He is also known as a researcher and author in the subject area overpopulation and Conservation Biology.
  • Michael Soule ( born May 28, 1936) is an American biologist and one of today's most renowned exponents of the idea of conservation biology.
  • Richard B. Primack (* 1950) is an American biologist who teaches and conducts research at Boston University and carried through his book Essentials of Conservation Biology major contribution to the international dissemination of the discipline.

Facilities

In Germany, a number of institutions involved in and outside the universities with aspects of conservation biology. Government agencies, national parks and non-governmental conservation organizations are also working on conservation biological foundations.

Associations

Scientific institutions

  • Senckenberg Nature Research Society
  • Natural History Museum Berlin
  • Museum King

Departments at universities and colleges

  • Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation Ecology and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna
Discipline (academia) Habitat destruction Entomology
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