Overharvesting

1. Overharvesting • Individuals are removed faster than they can be replaced • Examples • Dodo • Giant ground sloths • Mammoths • American camels

2. Overharvesting • American Bison • Population once were 60 -75 million • By late 1800s less than 1,000 were left. • Hunted for hides and meat • Currently, about 500,000 wild and commercial bison

3. Overharvesting • Passenger Pigeon • Was the most abundant bird in N. America. • Population estimates of over 3-5 million birds • Decline due to hunting and forest clearing. • Last one died in 1914.

4. Illegal Trade • $5 billion to $20 billion dollars annually. • Animals sold for parts, to be pets or medicinal value. • Example: tarsier and slow loris (pet trade) and rhino (medicinal values)

5. Legislation • Lacey Act (1900) • Prohibited illegally harvested game animals across state lines.

6. Legislation • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) • Control international trade of threatened plants and animals • Agreed upon in 175 countries • Red List – countries must monitor threatened species on the list.

7. Other Solutions • Ecotourism • visiting relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale. Provides • Education, funds for conservation, economic development of communities and fosters respect for other cultures

8. Other Solutions • Community Based Conservation (CBC) • incorporate improvement to the lives of local people while conserving areas through the creation of national parks or wildlife refuges

9. CBC Examples • Bird Nest Soup • edible bird nest made by birds from their saliva • Harvested 2x/year • Outside of harvesting season groups of men that rotate every 10 days, stay near the cave.

10. Clips • Passenger Pigeons Clip • Dramatic Tarsier - Video Clip • Slow Loris Clip