3.3 Threats to Biodiversity

Significant Ideas:

• While global diversity is hard to quantify, it is decreasing rapidly due to human activity. Classification of species conservation status can provide a useful tool in the conservation of biodiversity.

Applications & Skills:

• Discuss the case histories of three different species: one that has become extinct due to human activity, another that is critically endangered, and a third species whose conservation status has been improved by intervention.

• Describe the threats to biodiversity from human activity in a given natural area of biological significance or conservation area.

• Evaluate the impact of human activity on the biodiversity of tropical biomes.

• Discuss the conflict between exploitation, sustainable development, and conservation in tropical biomes.