Ecosystems and Biodiversity
5.0 Module Overview
In approaching climate change and sustainability, our efforts have been human-centric. In this module, the goal is to understand the pressure that climate change and other human activity places on our ecosystems and wildlife, as well as to understand the potential for achieving sustainability goals through the natural world.
Yellowstone Wolves have a unique role to play in protecting our ecosystems and thus drawing down carbon. Learn more about wolves in 5.3.
5.1 What Is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is a measure of the variability of life on earth, and can often be used as an indicator for the health of our ecosystems. Watch this short video to learn more about biodiversity and why it's so important to preserve.
5.2 We Are Threatening Biodiversity and Ecosystems
As rapid climate change disrupts ecosystems, destroys habitats, pollutes our land, and acidifies our oceans - many species on Earth are struggling to survive. Environments are changing too quickly for these organisms to effectively adapt, putting some of our most fragile ecosystems at risk. Read this article on the left about the a recent report from NPR. It indicates that human actions have caused the world to lose two-thirds of its wildlife, and that it poses a threat to human safety.
Ecosystems and Disease
Ecosystems are incredibly important in ways that may not be immediately obvious. Breakdown of ecosystems has been linked to an increased rate of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world into an unprecedented change. As humans venture into the depths of nature, deforestation is linked to outbreaks of diseases, such as Ebola and Lyme disease. In another example, destroying natural habitats often expands the range of mosquitoes, which can carry life threatening diseases such as malaria. Click on this graphic on the right to learn more about the connection between COVID-19 and nature.
5.3 Further Case Studies on Ecosystem Importance
Our Fragile Dependence On Bees
Bees are a poster child of the devastating effects of ecosystem disruption. Due to habitat fragmentation and colony collapse disorder, their populations have greatly declined. Their estimated financial contributions to human economies is several billion dollars due to their essential pollination of crops. Watch this video linked on the right for an overview on the health of bees.
Wolves as a Keystone Species
Complete with wolf howls and beautiful shots of Yellowstone, this video to the left highlights the important role wolves play in keeping this famous National Park's ecosystems in balance. The video dives into how reintroducing wolves to their natural habitat in Yellowstone restored the precarious balance of the ecosystem.
5.4 California's Ecosystems
Chaparral Biome
The chaparral biome is distinctly Californian. Present in every county in the state, the landscape is known for being a fire-prone shrub land with limited trees. Join this leading expert on chaparrals in the video featured on the right. Dual UC alumni, Richard Halsey, in his TED-talk discussed the value of this unique ecosystem to California and the world.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released this incredibly educational video about the marine protected areas and the importance of our ocean.
California's Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
California's coastal and marine ecosystems are one of the state's many treasures, and are foundational to the State's economy, climate, and identity. The California Current in the Pacific Ocean serves as the feeding ground for billions of fish, birds, and mammals. Some integral coastal biomes include estuaries, wetlands, rocky reefs, and deep sea canyons. For more information about coastal biomes and the sweeping impact of the California Current on the Pacific Ocean, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium's website (3). California recognizes the importance of these ecosystems and maintains several marine protected areas via the Marine Protection Act. To learn more about these protected areas and where they are located, check out the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (4).
California Marine Ecosystem Case Study: Kelp Forests
Kelp Forests off the coast of California provide an important home for wildlife, draw and sequester greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and demonstrate the interconnected nature of ecosystems, sustainability, and our climate crisis. Similar to the wolves of Yellowstone, sea otters play an invaluable role in the kelp forest, keeping predators of the kelp in check.
The image above gives a view into the extensive kelp forests in comparison that dwarfs the singular diver featured in the photo.
As mentioned above, ecosystems across the world are under attack. California's ecosystems are no exception. Although we have many policies such as marine protected areas to safeguard them, we need to ensure continuing support for the natural world that surrounds us. California universities are often at the forefront in understanding threats and diagnosing the problem, and so continuing a symbiotic relationship between research and implementation is a way to continue to protect the world we live in.
5.5 Berkeley's Environment
Strawberry Creek:
A primary reason that the school was built here, Strawberry Creek is directly tied to the ecosystem and history of the university. While previously damaged due to neglect and pollution, Strawberry Creek has been in a restoration process (6) led by Berkeley faculty, dedicated staff, and volunteers. Today, Strawberry Creek is a safeguard for native plants and animals, and we hope that it continues to prosper. To learn more, consult Berkeley's Creeks resource (7).
UC Berkeley Hill Campus
Located east and uphill to the main campus, Berkeley owns 800 acres of land known as the Hill Campus. The Hill Campus extends past Memorial Stadium and is where the UC Botanical Gardens, The Lawrence Hall of Science, the Space Sciences Laboratory, and the Mathematical Science Research institute are located. The primary purpose of the hill campus is for open space and research opportunities. The Hill Campus is incredibly important in managing wildfire risk to the campus and the greater Bay Area, and its natural function within the Bay Area is a crucial component of why Berkeley minimizes any construction or building in the Hill Campus area. For further information and planning about the Hill Campus, read its section within the 2020 Long Range Development Plan (9).
Re:wild Your Campus, formerly known as Herbicide Free Campus, is an organization founded by Berkeley alumni to change the culture around landscape management. It is a movement to eliminate the use of harmful herbicides on college campuses while working closely with the ground keepers to fight for their health and the health of the campus lands. Here at Cal, the local chapter of this growing organization is Re:wild Berkeley. To get involved, attend a weeding workday (updates released on their Instagram)!
5.6 Indigenous Sovereignty and Land Management
Recognizing Indigenous People's Relationship with the Planet
Indigenous people have been caring for and cultivating relationships with the land we occupy for thousands of years. The UN Environment Programme (11) states that we should be learning from and applying the traditional ecological knowledge and stewardship practices of Indigenous communities to properly manage and restore the land.
Protecting Indigenous People's Land as a Climate Solution
The World Resources Institute (12) recognized that securing indigenous people's land is one of the best ways to protect natural ecosystems as rates of deforestation are much lower. As a result, the land is well maintained though the practices of indigenous people, and saves a significant amount of money in eliminating funds used to help ecosystems recover. Read the article to learn more about how protecting Indigenous People's land rights should be implemented as a climate solution.
Restore Indigenous Sovereignty
"As governments around the world fail to adequately address the climate crisis, Indigenous communities continue to lead the way forward. We are seeing in real-time how Indigenous land stewardship effectively protects and respects Mother Earth."
Read this article to learn more about how restoring Indigenous Sovereignty and Indigenous land reclamation preserves ecosystems and combats climate change.
Justice for Indigenous People's in Higher Education
Given that our universities in the US were largely a product of Indigenous land grabs, many are calling for free tuition for Native students. They offer this as an alternative to returning the land to indigenous peoples, understanding that the land will likely not be returned. By offering free tuition to Native students, it offers a way for universities to provide land reparations along with the widespread use of land acknowledgments. To learn more about this commitment, read this brief linked here written by Megan Red Shirt-Shaw.
5.7 What Can We Do?
Engage with Nature
Many organizations offer a ways to get out and explore nature. Going outside provides a great way to relieve stress, get some exercise, and bond with others. One organization we would like to highlight for those reasons is Outdoor Afro. Outdoor Afro is a national not for profit organization that "celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature." Its goal is to help people equitably reconnect with nature through activities such as hiking biking, camping, environmental education, conservation stewardship and more. Outdoor Afro stands as a great example of nature as a unifier for people, and we will explore more ways to get involved in your community in Module 10 on Engagement. Watch this video on the left about Outdoor Afro in 2020.
Support Protection of Ecosystems
One of the most famous biologists, E.O. Wilson founded a biodiversity protection foundation known as Half-Earth. In it, he and other scientists outlined how preserving half of the Earth for ecosystems in the form of protected areas or natural parks will protect the bulk of biodiversity and ecosystems on Earth.
Ecosystems and Climate Change
This video outlines how ecosystems have a crucial role within our climate crisis. It touches on how forests store carbon, similar to the way that kelp forests also store carbon. It addresses in addition that saving ecosystems is not the only way to stop the climate crisis, it must be done in tandem with decarbonization efforts. One of the most prominent efforts is the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (ARF100) which aims to bring 100 million hectacres of land into restoration by 2030. Learn more about ARF100 at this link here.
Use Ecosia
Ecosia is a company committed to implementing both technological and biological approaches to solving climate change. A transparent search engine that uses its profits to hire indigenous people within developing nations to replant forests, Ecosia is powered solely by renewable energy (13). Ten years since their launch, they have just planted over 100 million trees (14) as of 2020.
If you use an iPhone, you can download the Ecosia app, or you could set it to be your default search engine in Safari. To do this: 1) open settings; 2) open safari settings; 3) click search engine; 4) choose the Ecosia option!