MAIN POINTS:
Experts gathered to find one species that is important to the ecosystem, economically, culturally and potential to serve as a conservation emblem. Politicians and regulators, however only cared about the economy and not the earth. After this, scientists found the need for triage. Triage is a decision making system when treatment in difficult situations when time, expertise and supplies are short. Triage is a provocative subject today. To many, it is a way to laws such as the Endangered Species Act (protects all nonpest species). Researchers proposed several ways to make triage decisions. One way is "function first", where it focuses on specific ecological roles. Another is "evolution first", where it emphasizes protection on genetic diversity. A man named Norman Meyer and his colleagues decided to protect the maximum number of species based on land area. This was called hotspots and was a combination of both function first and evolution first.
MY THOUGHTS:
The idea of triage that started long ago and is still a provocative subject today tells me that people still care for the environment. I think triage isn't just a simple idea. Many ideas branched out from triage, such as 'function-first' and 'evolution-first'. To me, triage is a way for people to take big risks for big rewards. In this case, the reward is keeping a species from being threatened or extinct. I do not like the idea of focusing on just one species being saved. I think that all species should have experts and such to research them, save them and find out ways how they can help the ecosystem and capitalize on that.
So what?
Triage is subject that is used by scientists and researchers to help figure out what is the best species to save.
What if...?
All species were decided to be saved? Will the idea of triage still be around today?
Says who?
Michelle Nijhuis
What does this remind me of?
The Hunger Games, only the best survive. In this case, the species best fit for saving the economy and the ecosystem are going to be saved.
- Several species of storm-petrels are similarly endangered like the dark-gray seabird
- Conservation groups are ignoring the petrel
- Experts gathered in small conference rooms to make their choices of which species is the most important to the ecosystem, economically, culturally and potential to serve as a conservation emblem.
- In the middle of the first day, panels eliminated more than half the species on the list.
- At one point in the afternoon, the reality of the process would hit. Entire groups of species including storm-petrels were deemed valuable but not valuable enough.
- Experts knew conservation groups and government agencies were coping similar choices in tacit ways
- Wildlife Conservation Society process made the decision more explicit and painful.
- When budgets shrink, environmental stress grew.
- Politicians and Regulators cared more for economy than the planet.
- Scientists acknowledged the need for triage
- Conservation triage is based on medical triage, a decision-making system used by battlefield medics. Medical triage had several variations but all involve sorting patients for treatment in difficult situations when time, expertise and supplies are short.
- Agonizing decisions but considered essential for greater good
- 1973, U.S Congress passed Endangered Species Act, not because of scarcity but generosity.
- Act is still considered the most powerful environmental law in the world. Stipulated eligibility for protection of all nonpest species
- In book called Noah's Choice, it explains the act's reasoning: all species are fundamentally equal and everything can and should be saved
- Trouble arose in 1980, proposed endangered species listings of northern spotted owl and salmon varieties threatened economic interest of powerful timber and fishing industry. Set off a series of political and legal attempts to weaken law.
- Today, triage is the most provocative ideas in conservation
- To many, it invokes political threats to laws such as the Endangered Species Act
- Conservationist pushing for explicit triage say they're bringing systematic thinking and transparency to practices that have been carried out implicitly.
- Politically controversial species attract more funding
- Researchers proposed several ways to make triage decisions, with aim of providing maximum benefit for nature as a whole
- Scientists argue for weighting species according to role in ecosystem "function first"
- Umbrella species whose own survival ensures survival of many others should be protected.
- Advantages of "function first" is that it focuses on specific ecological roles than raw #. Gives conservationists a better chance at protecting functioning ecosystems.
- Alternative is "evolution first" favors most genetically unusual threatened species. Emphasizes preservation of genetic diversity
- Wildlife Conservation Society combined different triage approaches in its analyses: gave priority to threatened species that have larger body size and wider geographic range.
- Reasoning: protection of these creatures would likely benefit many other plants and animals
- With combo of available data/expert opinions, analysis identified a small group of "global priority" species that the organization can focus on
- Given importance of protecting not just the individual animals but also the relations among them
- Triage approaches should select among ecosystems instead of species.
- Norman Meyers proposed that his colleagues should try to protect the max # of species by focusing on land areas that were full of plants and found nowhere else.
- Meyers called it hotspots
- Hotspots were thought to top priority lists, by combining function first and evolution first processes: protects ecological relations by focusing on the entire ecosystem, and protects genetic diversity by prioritizing endemic species.
- Idea caught on and influences decisions today
- Researchers criticized hotspots for oversimplifying a global problem
- In effort to refine concept, people developed Marxan, a software program this maximizes effectiveness of conservation reserves by considering the presence of endemic species and level of consideration threats.
- Protected areas are hard to police and because climate change is already shifting specie ranges, and static boundaries may not offer the best long-term protection.
- In response Possingham created a resource-allocation process that goes well beyond the selection of hotspots, allows decision makers to weigh cost, benefit and likelihood of success.
- New Zealand Department of Conservation used this process and found that actions that were cheapest were most likely to succeed and could save half again as many plants and animals from extinction with same amount of money.
- Setting priorities overtly could inspire societies to spend more money on conservation efforts.
- Trailing behind such success are undeniable losses and true triage much acknowledge them.
- Species low priority means a call to action by other groups
- Vulnerable species or habitat will require measures too expensive for govt. or group to shoulder, so what do we do?
- Even though conversation about triage come a long way, conservationists remain uncomfortable taking responsibility for final, fateful decisions.
- Line between opportunity and lost cause is never clear.
- A triage system could allow society to prematurely jettison tough cases, choosing from short-term economic rewards over long-term conservation goals.
- The ESA has one provision for such a too-hard basket--it allows for a panel of experts than can permit a federal agency to violate the act's protections.
Experts gathered to find one species that is important to the ecosystem, economically, culturally and potential to serve as a conservation emblem. Politicians and regulators, however only cared about the economy and not the earth. After this, scientists found the need for triage. Triage is a decision making system when treatment in difficult situations when time, expertise and supplies are short. Triage is a provocative subject today. To many, it is a way to laws such as the Endangered Species Act (protects all nonpest species). Researchers proposed several ways to make triage decisions. One way is "function first", where it focuses on specific ecological roles. Another is "evolution first", where it emphasizes protection on genetic diversity. A man named Norman Meyer and his colleagues decided to protect the maximum number of species based on land area. This was called hotspots and was a combination of both function first and evolution first.
MY THOUGHTS:
The idea of triage that started long ago and is still a provocative subject today tells me that people still care for the environment. I think triage isn't just a simple idea. Many ideas branched out from triage, such as 'function-first' and 'evolution-first'. To me, triage is a way for people to take big risks for big rewards. In this case, the reward is keeping a species from being threatened or extinct. I do not like the idea of focusing on just one species being saved. I think that all species should have experts and such to research them, save them and find out ways how they can help the ecosystem and capitalize on that.
So what?
Triage is subject that is used by scientists and researchers to help figure out what is the best species to save.
What if...?
All species were decided to be saved? Will the idea of triage still be around today?
Says who?
Michelle Nijhuis
What does this remind me of?
The Hunger Games, only the best survive. In this case, the species best fit for saving the economy and the ecosystem are going to be saved.