Biodiversity case study cards

• Located in estuary mouths and inter-tidal areas
• Stabilise against erosion
• Collect sediments 
• Act as a nursery for coastal fish 
• Characterised by zonation; white; furthest inland, black; further inland, red; nearest the sea
• THREATS:
• Shrimp farming: 
• By 1961; 50% of mangroves were lost through shrimp farming 
• $ market in 1970s and 1990s 
• Increasing global demand 
• USA imported 500,000 tonnes in 2005
• Problems with shrimp farming:
• Waste has to be removed before next crop cycle 
• Disease and infection
• Rice fields; salinisation
• =( depletion of biodiversity 

• Climate change:
• Sea level rise; floods mangroves 
• Mangroves no longer act as a buffer against hydro... hazards
• The future:
• 1985; 80 hectare plots of mangrove forest created (Yadfon) + publicity campaign to protect sea grass from fishing communities 
• Saving greenbelts; launched range of films to highlight importance of mangroves 
• Ramsar sites: 1971- Ramsar Convention; international treaty on wetlands; recognises importance of wetlands  

Location:

• Northern Alaska
• Artic Tundra; polar climate
• 19 million acres; believed to be 9-16 billion barrels of oil underneath 

For development:

• 8% is being explored
• 735,000 jobs

Key players for: 

• Alaskan residents; believe that a modern society can combine exploration and sustainable development
• US government; democrats 
• Arctic Power

Against development:

• Biological heartland; 200 species of flaura and fauna
• Offers a wide range of habitats; snow gees, porcupine river herd
• Migration routes for birds will be disrupted

Key players against:

• Environmental groups
• Gwichin; local tribe; rely on porcupine river herd for clothes, hunting, food
• Republicans

Due to disagreement ANWR has been 'locked up' future may have to open it up. 

Background:

• Located in NE Queensland, Austrailia 
• World Heritage Site 1988; worlds largest number of endangered/ rare species
• 135 million years old

Threats: 

• Population growth: 
• 1983- 1700 
• 2004- 500,000
• Tourism growth 

Impacts:

• Tarmacking 
• Small businesses losing out; Port Douglas
• Congestion
• Westernisation; loss of culture/ traditions
• Habitat loss; cassowary 

Management:

• Rainforest Research Council 2004 report
• Austrailian Rainforest Council; buy back iniative 
• Cairns Regional Council; management of Daintree; 
• - increase price of ferry 
• - many fear Daintree will become Westernised much like Cairns