The Question of the Protection of Endangered Species in the Amazon Rainforest

Ecology and Environment Briefing Paper

The question of the protection of endangered species in the Amazon rainforest

The Amazon rainforest has been the centre of many environmental discussions over the past few years, mainly due to the vast deforestation taking place there. However, despite a recent decrease in deforestation levels, more and more species of flora and fauna are becoming extinct every year.

The Central Amazon Conservation Complex makes up the largest protected area in the Amazon Basin (over 6 million hectares) and is one of the planet’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity. It also includes an important sample of varzea ecosystems, igapó forests, lakes and channels which take the form of a constantly evolving aquatic mosaic that is home to the largest array of electric fish in the world. The site protects key threatened species, including giant arapaima fish, the Amazonian manatee, the black caiman and two species of river dolphin. This area counts for only around 10% of the Amazon rainforest, and industrial companies are taking advantage of the wealth of unprotected land.

The Amazon rainforest is home to an estimated 2.5 million insect species, 40,000 plant species and around 2000 species of bird and mammal. It is estimated that if the global temperature rises by 4°C, 85% of the rainforest would die by 2100. This would cause innumerable numbers of currently endangered species to go extinct.

Delegates might like to consider the following questions:

· What is the most effective way for the UN to use international cooperation to solve this issue?

· How can it be ensured that all countries cooperate?

· How can the UN grant themselves conservatory power over parts of the Amazon rainforest without infringing any national sovereignty?

Further reading:

http://worldwildlife.org/places/amazon

http://livingsta.hubpages.com/hub/Endangered-Animals-of-the-Rainforest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_the_Amazon#Endangered

The question of poaching in sub-Saharan Africa

Illegal poaching is seeing the decline of many species in sub-Saharan Africa; such as African Elephants and Black Rhino, as well as many others. In South Africa alone, 946 rhinos were killed in 2013, 668 rhinos were poached in 2012, rising by almost 50% from 2011. The past 50 years has seen the Black Rhino population drop by almost 98% (from what it was in 1960) meaning that the Black Rhino is now critically endangered. African Elephants are also at risk and, if current poaching rates continue as they are, will be extinct in 10 years. Other wildlife animals, such as lions, which are already extinct in 7 African countries, are vulnerable to extinction if poaching is not stopped.

The main reason for poaching is the vast amounts of money that rhino horn and ivory can sell for on the black market. Rhino horn sells for approximately $30,000 per pound (gold, by comparison, sells for approximately $18,000 per pound, legally) and is thought to have many medicinal benefits, however, it has never been proven to work. Similarly, the trade of illegal ivory, mainly present in the Far East (predominately China) is used to carve statues and is used in jewelry.

Poachers often act in gangs as one man alone could not take down an elephant, nor could he smuggle the poached goods out of the country. The most common equipment used to kill the animals is the AK-47 but recently gangs have been able to improve the level of technology and efficiency of their poaching with night vision as it becomes more readily available.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) works alongside governments from around the world to find ways of countering poaching. International treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) also convene meetings of delegates to discuss anti-poaching methods.

Delegates might want to consider:

· Methods for protecting poached species

· Ways for deterring poachers

· How to improve the detection of poached goods entering and leaving countries

· Removing the demand for poached resources

Further Reading:

http://www.cites.org

http://www.unep.org

http://www.awf.org/landing/2013/05/poaching-infographic/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20971182

https://www.un.org/apps/news//story.asp?NewsID=44269&Cr=wildlife&Cr1=#.UtFkvP2IbwI

The question of the harmful effects of the world’s growing population on the environment

With over 7 billion people on the earth today, overpopulation is becoming a more pressing issue on the global stage, and it is starting to take its toll on the environment. Firstly, in order to survive, the population needs food. The world is already struggling to produce enough food to feed the current population, let alone the population in 10 or 20 years time. By 2075, the UN estimates the world will have to feed approximately 9.5 billion people.

The growing population also demands other commodities, such as paper, plastics and fuel. This increasing demand for paper will lead to massive deforestation if not regulated in the correct manner and the resources replenished. Crude oil, the source of most plastics and fuel, is expected to run out (if consumed at the current rate) in approximately 40 years, meaning discovery of new oil reserves is essential. However, to do this, vast areas of the landscape must be destroyed to make space for extraction plants. We must also ask; where will all these people live? These people will need to live somewhere and there is not enough space to house them at the moment. This all means even larger areas of land will be taken over by human development.

Species under threat of extinction due to loss of habitat will become extinct if they are not properly preserved and protected from the growing population. Moreover, those already in conflict with humans over living space are also in danger as the human population expands.

The UN Population Division projects future population growth. The work of the UN population department greatly aids governments in their policies on population growth. Nations like China have adopted a ‘one child’ policy which, although the UN hasn’t implemented globally, does help to ease the pressure of the growing population. UN Habitat has called for greater levels of urbanisation to control and confine human influence and protect further the surrounding environment.

Delegates might want to consider:

· Ways of capping the growth of the global population

· Methods of protecting certain areas of land from human involvement

· How to replenish any natural resources used by the world’s population

· Education of young children so they are fully aware of the effects of the increasing population