Ecological Disasters Planning

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The Tsunami & the Globalization of Relief Ecological Disasters & Planning: A Multiple Choice Examination Val Beasley DVM, PhD, D. ABVT Professor of Veterinary, Wildlife, & Ecological Toxicology : 

The Tsunami & the Globalization of Relief Ecological Disasters & Planning: A Multiple Choice Examination Val Beasley DVM, PhD, D. ABVT Professor of Veterinary, Wildlife, & Ecological Toxicology

The Globalization of Relief We have Multiple Choices as to Ecological Disasters & Planning… Will we Pass the Examination Posed by History?: 

The Globalization of Relief We have Multiple Choices as to Ecological Disasters & Planning… Will we Pass the Examination Posed by History? “…examine implications for future cooperation to address mounting & pending natural catastrophes of global proportions.”

The Globalization of Relief We have a Global Economic System & Dysfunctional Fragmented Governance that Aggravate Ecological Disasters. Will we have Astute Global Governance & Stewardship?: 

The Globalization of Relief We have a Global Economic System & Dysfunctional Fragmented Governance that Aggravate Ecological Disasters. Will we have Astute Global Governance & Stewardship?

What do we mean by disaster?: 

What do we mean by disaster? A sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction; broadly : a sudden or great misfortune or failure. What do we mean by relief? Removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing. Reactive AND Pro-active! Need to think outside the box! Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary

What is Sudden?: 

What is Sudden? Geological time. Evolutionary time. Human time (startling). “Relevant time” (influences us and future generations, + our actions can make a difference.

CO2 from Ocean Turnover & Global Warming: 

CO2 from Ocean Turnover & Global Warming 251 M years ago ocean turnover released CO2  -- largest extinction event in the fossil record --. CO2 from plants built up in deep ocean  low CO2 in atmosphere  global cooling  cold water formed on surface & sank  CO2 released  6-fold increase in atmospheric CO2  profound global warming  72% of genera wiped out Even worse than extinction of the dinosaurs (when 47% of animal genera died 65 M years ago). Rare events – millions of years for “recovery” Now, we’re aggravating “natural” disasters & triggering others. Natural Climate Change – The Biggest Natural Disaster with Immense Ecological Impacts.

Many natural events that we think of as “disasters” do not cause widespread ecological devastation.: 

Many natural events that we think of as “disasters” do not cause widespread ecological devastation. Tsunami Caused Ecological Impacts: According to a recent report, among critical coastal habitats in Aceh & North Sumatra, damage included: 25,000 hectares of mangroves 30% of 97,250 hectares of coral reefs 20% of 600 hectares of seagrass beds were damaged. Respective estimates of economic losses were $118.2 million, $332.4 million, & $2.3 million. Ecological stewardship can buffer against both ecological disasters & natural disasters that impact human populations.

Biodiversity as Natural Buffers Against Disasters: 

Biodiversity as Natural Buffers Against Disasters Mangroves Coral reefs Nutrient trapping plants CO2 trapping plant communities Soil trapping plant communities (trees) Moisture trapping plant communities (trees, grasses, other plants…lessen fires, lessen floods, preserve microenvironments, prevent desertification).

Mangroves planted to act as buffer against sea: 

Mangroves planted to act as buffer against sea Independent: January 24, 2005, Byline:  Geoffrey Lean For decades, thick coastal mangrove forests have been felled to make way for tourism, & shrimp farms to supply Western tables. In areas where mangroves have been removed, coastlines have rapidly eroded. Areas where mangroves were intact suffered remarkably few casualties: the forests acted as a living buffer. Villages were saved on the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province. Only 4 people died on Simeuleu Island (30 miles from epicentre of earthquake that caused the tsunami). From Re-active to Pro-active: LEARNING Opportunities

Mangroves planted to act as buffer against sea: 

Mangroves planted to act as buffer against sea Governments of countries worst hit by the recent tsunami announced plans to plant mangrove forests along their coasts, after being convinced they save lives. The Indonesian forestry minister pledged to restore 1.5 million acres of mangroves. Malaysia 's Prime Minister, called for its mangroves to remain untouched. Thailand is to complete its rehabilitation plan this week. Sri Lanka is trying to ban mangrove destruction. In India, an official commission said it should plant a "bioshield" of vegetation along its coasts. Actions may revitalize fisheries around the Indian Ocean. From Re-active to Pro-active: LEARNING Opportunities

Slide11: 

Sudden... Oil Spills

Slide12: 

Sudden... Oil Spills A “Cultural” or “Natural” Disaster ?

Slide13: 

Strategies/Solutions Difficult remediation, but comparatively “easy” prevention Journalism & formal education to prompt regulation. Incentives/disincentives to ensure: Double wall tankers. Sober tanker drivers. Co-pilots. Faster skimming of petroleum from water. Stiff fines. Oiled wildlife response teams. Alternative energy sources to get “beyond petroleum.”

Slide14: 

Sudden…Blast force & Pollutants from Volcanoes (Mount St. Helens, 1980) CO2 is heavier than air: low spots = high risk. Dog: CO2, Nyamuragira Volcano - Zaire, 1989 Natural Trauma & Ecotoxicology

Sudden… Pollutants from Volcanoes: 

Sudden… Pollutants from Volcanoes Carbon dioxide. Sulfur dioxide. Hydrogen sulfide. Carbon monoxide. Hydrochloric acid when lava meets ocean water. Hydrofluoric acid. Hot pumice. Hot volcanic ash. Water vapor (steam). “Vog” = gas + aerosol containing sulfuric acid, sulfates, selenium, mercury, arsenic, & iridium. Kilauea Natural Ecotoxicology

Slide16: 

Human beings & domestic animals: Keep away from volcanoes. Listen to and heed warnings. Endangered strains or species. Wildlife managers should not count of areas of high volcanic activity as sole or primary habitats for threatened or endangered terrestrial or aquatic species. Translocation to other suitable historic habitats. Strategies/Solutions

The Future of Life E.O. Wilson, 2002: 

The Future of Life E.O. Wilson, 2002 “The great dilemma of environmental reasoning stems from this conflict between short-term & long-term values. … To combine the two visions to create a universal environmental ethic is… very difficult. But combine them we must, because a universal environmental ethic is the only guide by which humanity & the rest of life can be safely conducted through the bottleneck into which our species has foolishly blundered.”

Differences between “Easy Disasters” & “Difficult Disasters”: 

Differences between “Easy Disasters” & “Difficult Disasters” Easy: local, a single short-lived stressor, resources from periphery ample to support recovery, public engaged. Difficult: wide area, multiple long-lived stressors, resources from periphery insufficient to support recovery, public disengaged.

Less Sudden in Human Time Very Sudden in Relevant Time, Inadequate Public Engagement Accelerating the 7th Extinction Event Global “Biodiversity Deficit”: 

Less Sudden in Human Time Very Sudden in Relevant Time, Inadequate Public Engagement Accelerating the 7th Extinction Event Global “Biodiversity Deficit” Extinction rates are 100-1,000 times faster than before humans existed. Group Species Threatened or Extinct Fishes 30% Amphibians 21% Reptiles 25% Mammals 25% Birds 12% 30% of Earth’s coral reefs are severely damaged (Tibbets 2004).

Slide20: 

Promoting human population growth. Stimulating resource consumption per individual (“the aspiration bomb”). Over-fishing & poaching. Releasing alien invasive species. Degrading hydrology (drainage, irrigation). Fragmenting, degrading, & eliminating natural habitat. Row crops, over & under grazing, forestry, mining, business, housing, roads. Includes clearing forests, local microclimate change, desertification. Polluting water, soil, & air (nutrients; chemicals from agriculture, mining, industry, homes, cars, airplanes, ships). Causes direct and indirect toxic effects. Causes global warming. Degrading natural controls on infectious diseases (humans, buffalos, lions, frogs) (see next slide & Dr. Kitron). Set in Motion  Direct Impacts of Species Declines & Extinctions.  Extinction Vortex (secondary to loss of keystone species). Failing to Educate Students & the Public to Overcome Collective Denial, Ignorance, & Inertia! HUMAN ACTIONS that prompt Ecological DISASTERS….

Altered Hydrology is Stewardship Possible?: 

Altered Hydrology is Stewardship Possible? Dams & levies that prevent fish migrations, force interbreeding, change temperatures, reduce biodiversity. Irrigation & urban uses that deplete surface waters & aquifers. Urbanization, deforestation, & agriculture that mine, erode, & deplete soil  decrease sponge effect of soil  increase runoff. Increase flashiness of streams  floods then dry hot streams that have low dissolved O2. Prompt mudslides & silt  degrade breeding grounds & harm fish gills, aquatic plants. Coastal development, filling estuaries, & dredging eliminate nursery areas needed by fishes + reduce filtration  expose coral reefs to warm water, nutrients, metals, organic contaminants, & particulates.

Deaths of Coral Reefs: 

Deaths of Coral Reefs A. Home to over 25% of marine fish species. B. $375 billion a year in goods and services. C. Food, materials, & income for 500 million people. D. Source of pharmaceuticals Antiviral drug acyclovir from marine sponges. Cephalosporin antibiotics from a pseudomarine fungus. E. Islands, prevent erosion.

Why are coral reefs in danger?: 

Why are coral reefs in danger? Hurricanes, coral mining, trampling by tourists & divers, & mechanical destruction by nets, dredging, ship anchors & groundings. Diseases of corals & sea urchins, over-fishing of algal grazers. Nutrient loading, other pollutants, sedimentation, hyper- & hypo-thermic stress. Nitrogen stimulates algal blooms that “cover” coral & produce hypoxic conditions. Coral bleaching (excessive loss of zooanthellae algae) if severe enough  death.

US Coral Reefs: Status & Impacts: 

US Coral Reefs: Status & Impacts According to US Coral Reef Task Force, “2/3 of world’s coral reefs may be dying, & if current conditions continue, 70% may be gone by 2050.” In the 1970s, reefs of Florida Keys contained more than 70% coral. Now, 84% of these reefs are dominated by algae & seaweed. Impacts of reef loss include island subsidence, flooding, reductions in coastal biodiversity – harvest, tourism, & costs of repair.

Slide25: 

NRC’s “Clean Coastal Waters” report proposed a 20 year plan to reduce US marine pollution by 10% by 2010 & 25% by 2020. Reef restoration (adding structure & coral larvae, controlling pollution) … is an infant science. Public education Regulation Incentives. Strategies/Solutions

Slide26: 

Harmful algal blooms, including red tides…. Natural cycles, nutrient additions, global warming, & altered grazers may play a role. Karenia brevis Endangered manatees

Brevetoxin, Humans, & Endangered Manatees: 

Brevetoxin, Humans, & Endangered Manatees Photos courtesy of the Florida DEP/FMRI. Lung lesions from aerosolized Karenia brevis with brevetoxins

Slide28: 

Ecological complexity  Causation unclear. Precautionary principle? Nutrient management. Titrate fertilizer use to amounts needed by plants. Public education. Agricultural education. Effective sewage treatment plants. Buffer strips, wetlands. Astute watershed management. Reduce water abstraction to increase flushing of coastal zones & thus limit algal growth on sea grasses. Discourage development in Florida that further increases the human population. Strategies/Solutions

Slide29: 

Habitat Loss, Infectious Diseases, Contaminants & Endocrine Disruption, & the Amphibian Decline Disaster Multifactorial Wide Area, Manmade & “Natural” Disaster Potentially an “easy” disaster, but resources from periphery are constrained by ignorance & apathy.

Slide30: 

Series of ephemeral wetlands along streams instead of borrow pits beside interstates, shopping centers. Pollution control. Exotic species prevention. Native plant communities (aquatic, upland, trees). Edge diversity. Public education. Media. University. K-12. Strategies/Solutions

Albert Einstein….. “Perfection of means & confusion of goals seem to characterize our age” : 

Albert Einstein….. “Perfection of means & confusion of goals seem to characterize our age”

Restoring Resilience to Ecosystems to Prevent Ecological Disasters: 

Getting public support to get business incentives right to: Control chemical contaminants to below threshold concentrations (direct & indirect toxic effects). Control exotic & invasive species introductions; eliminate exotic species when possible & desirable. Control emerging & re-emerging diseases by facilitating natural disease control: biodiversity, less crowding, stress, more distance from humans. Practice agriculture & forestry that build soil, & do not deplete aquifers or water bodies. Rehabilitate/restore rivers, estuaries, coasts. Harvest animals only at rates that allow recovery of robust, genetically diverse stocks. Restoring Resilience to Ecosystems to Prevent Ecological Disasters

Restoring Resilience to Ecosystems to Prevent Ecological Disasters: 

Getting public support to get business incentives right to: Re-establish connectivity of natural landscapes especially along streams, across uplands. Maintain natural areas large enough to sustain larger native carnivores & other species with large ranges. Provide ample buffers with native plants, & animals—to offset effects of human activities. Maintain areas devoted to human activities in small & large islands linked with one another with transport systems that allow wildlife to migrate & interbreed. Re-establish margins of safety for wildlife resources by enabling their continued evolution. Restoring Resilience to Ecosystems to Prevent Ecological Disasters