By Katie Holmes

Definition: Conservation of natural ecosystems entails many definitions as each word is necessary to define in itself.  Conservation is the movement to protect animals, plants, and fungi and their habitats.  The focus is this word "conservation" in which includes natural ecosystems that wildlife can inhabit.  This movement (conservation) aids in protection of land such as the national parks throughout the U.S. and even the deserts in Arizona. Most organizations search to find sustainable developmental models that combine preservation of natural environment with communities that surround it in hopes to conserve and restore ecosystems.  An ecosystem, however, is a community that combines both the living and nonliving to interact as a system; organisms work with the environment such as with air, soil, and water.  Ecosystems include several different types throughout the world.  The three major types of ecosystems include terrestrial (land), freshwater, and ocean.

By Josue Martinez

   Before continuing, please take a moment and watch the video below.

   Global ecology consist of biodiversity protection and sustainable ecological services. Habitat destruction is the main driving force that is devastating ecosystems. Increasing awareness that it is necessary to conserve more than just pieces of land here and there is essential in preserving environment on a larger scale (Turner 2007). Nature gives rise to emotions of happiness, serenity, and promotes wellness. This is a rare change from the hustle and stress most civilized cultures are accustomed to.

   In Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest contains one of the great biologically diverse land in the world, although, it is still relatively unexplored and many species remain undiscovered. Deforestation has ravaged the land and has directly affected the ecosystem and all of its inhabitants. Implantation of sustainable practices aid in maintaining the ecological diversity and balance between man and nature(http://www.wcs.org/where-we-work/latin-america/brazil.aspx). Slash-and-burn is an inefficient agricultural method in which the rainforest is cleared, burned, and is only known to support cultivation for a few years. On the other hand, agroforestry is a sustainable and much more efficient method by which crops and forestry are grown mutably in the same space of land. Not only are farmers able to produce crops continuous for many years, it provides structure to the soil, nurtients is form of organic martial from fallen leaves, and protection from the wind, sun and nutrient loss due to runoff (http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/safe/english/agroforestry.php). By using the land more efficiently, we both promote the ecosystem to prevail and the businesses that implement such practices to grow. It is large companies with ehtical methods that will spearhead the path of sustainable economic proliferation.

   The Rainforest Alliance is an international, non-governmental based organization. It’s purpose is to protect biodiversity and consists of strict sustainability methods and practices for manufactured goods and service providers that are either extracted or land-intensive. They certify, verify, and validate that agricultural, forestry, and tourism companies oblige by their standards and are presented a seal that may be displayed on their product and/or place of business (http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/work).

   Converting cultivated land it into a human developed habitat, may invigorate the biodiversity of an area more than in one in which no human disturbance has occurred. For example, in Africa, Hawkmoth species from both forest and savannah settings has congregated around man-made gardens, including a rare European species, Deilephila nerii (Owen 1970). Gardens and preservation by reintroduction of native vegetation and species along with removal of invasive and ferrel species, are acceptable methods to help the area’s ecosystem. There are a variety of different methods that all aid in providing protection and reuse of available resources, all which relieve the stressors on their ecosystem. 

   Australia has been protecting their varying ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef is a diverse  marine ecosystem that contains a wide array of fish, coral, birds, and reptiles. This living habitat is 1800 miles long, making it larger than the great wall of China, and visible from space. Natural-based tourism is implemented into this region and to much success. It aids in regional economic growth, it directly conserves the area, it increases awareness to conservation efforts, and it may improve tourists’ ecological behavior. It is important to add that the motivation behind the enterprise is an important factor in transcending the true message of the importances of ecological conservation and protection of the biological diversity that exist there (Biggs 2012). Strict regulations and sanctions allow for only a select few businesses to prevail; the ones that truly want to share, protect, and inform people of these majestic natural wonders.

   It seems that ethical principles drive organizations that aim to reduce their carbon footprint, improve the morals of their business, and protect the assortment of organism the they share the land with. Higher standards helps filter out businesses that aim to exploit the terrain to obtain capital profit from those that want a symbiotic relation between their environment. We are just one species out of millions of other that call this organic ball home. We are the problem, but we are also the solution. 

By Shayne Gabris

By Katie Holmes

There are many efforts in Arizona that tackle this issue of conserving natural ecosystems.  Some may have failed, and others have largely succeeded.  Our beautiful desert that we know as home, can also be seen as homes to many different animals with varying ecosystems.  In order to focus on a few important policies and incentives, rather than the large list of organizations in Arizona that carry out business in perserving wildlife, this section will primarily deal with two of the  most common organizations and plans that research allowed: Trout Unlimited and Arizona Game and Fish.  Within each section, there is information on current conditions, specifics of policies and incentives and education regarding the topics.

TROUT UNLIMITED

Trout Unlimted is an organization based out of Arizona and New Mexico that believes in involving human interaction like landowners and agencies to protect endangered habitats, reconnect diminished waterways, and help in resurgence of coldwater fisheries. 

This organizations' projects are infinite and aimed at the young (but really any age!) to get involved and interested.  Some projects include the "Stream Explorers" that introduced the Gila Trout back into the streams and rivers of Arizona that were less populated due to human interference.  Others work with supplemental organizations, like Arizona Game and Fish that will be discussed later, in order to, again, reintroduce species that have almost died out.  There are openings of new chapters often, including one that just opened in Flagstaff, Arizona.

This organization is important in understanding the educational factor involved.  They actively pursue volunteers to not only help in replacing fish, but educate those who help.  The project "Stream Explorers" above was targeted at the youth and even created a newsletter to inform them about their project.

One can learn more by researching this organization and taking action.  Directly on this website there are specific instructions, if interested, to reach out today and make a difference in these coldwater fisheries.  To learn more, visit: http://www.tu.org/take-action 

ARIZONA GAME AND FISH

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, there are nearly 800 species to take in account over Arizona's landscape.  Other states cannot offer as much diversity as Arizona obtains, ranging from dry desert to lush streams and cool weather.  This organization attributes Arizona's continued abundance and diversity of wildlife to careful management.  In order to assure greater oversight and precautions, the Arizona Game and Fish Department split management into two branches: Game Species Management and Nongame Species Management.
 
Both branches controls and protects and have similar goals.  The difference is "game" versus "nongame".  Game is any animal that is hunted for food and is not typically domesticated.  Nongame, however, are all wildlife except game animals.  Together, their main goal is to restore and protect, maintain natural diversity of Arizona, and "provide wildlife-oriented recreational opportunities for all present and future generations."  So, people are considered in part of that definition of goals.  The environment is there for the animals, but the department recognizes human involvement whether intentional or accidental. 

By Miranda Lewis             

An example of an effort to conserve natural ecosystems locally is the Desert Botanical Garden. The Garden is located in the city of Phoenix and has been open since 1939. As stated by their website, one of their very important commitments and missions is to conserve biodiversity, specifically that of the southwestern region of the United States. Biodiversity can be defined as, “all the forms of life on the planet” (DBG, 2013). This means their mission includes the preservation of different plants and animals as well as the communities they form and the genes that they are derived from. The Garden is known locally, nationally, and globally because of its success in preservation and protection of the natural ecosystems of the Arizona desert inside of a large metropolitan area (DBG, 2013). Methods within Evolutionary Biology used to conserve ecosystems by the garden include conservation genetics, plant systematics, and ecology.

As mentioned above, the Desert Botanical Garden uses many areas of sciences in order to conserve the natural ecosystems of our desert. An all-encompassing field is that of Evolutionary Biology. This is the study of organisms by disciplines including ecology, systematics, and genetics and how they inherit changes over time (DBG, 2013). Within Evolutionary Biology falls plant systematics, ecology, and conservation genetics. Ecology, which is the study of the relationships between organisms, their environment, and each other helps scientists to understand an effective way to conserve the biodiversity within ecosystems. Plant systematics, loosely defined as the study that documents and classifies the diversity of plants, is used to provide descriptions and classifications of different plants (DBG, 2013). It is also used in order to understand these things in context with the evolutionary history of plants.

               
One particularly important way that the garden works to secure the future of the ecosystems found in the deserts of the Southwest region of the United States is the use of conservation genetics. Genetic diversity is said to be one of the 3 main types of biodiversity which, as we know, plays a large role in the conservation of natural ecosystems. Genetic diversity allows a larger chance for a species to survive over time. The Desert Botanical Garden boasts multiple onsite molecular labs in which they conduct genetic research using tools such as DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing, and microsatellites. By using these technologies, along with other research they conduct, the Garden is able to identify new desert species and use reintroduction strategies for endangered species of plants (DBG, 2013). Overall, studying these fields sheds light on what our priorities should be in terms of conservation, our goals for preservations and what we need to do to reach them.

A great accomplishment of the Desert Botanical Garden is that it is a founding member of the Center for Plant Conversation, or the CPC. The CPC is an association within a national level which includes 36 botanical gardens that are dedicated to saving the endangered plants of America. The Desert Botanical Garden, in 1987, was chosen as the Southwest regional garden. The CPC’s southwestern region stretches across the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mohave deserts which extend from southeastern California to the Western part of Texas. At this moment, the Garden has 52 rare southwestern plants which are a part of the CPC’s National Collection of rare U.S. plant taxa (DBG, 2013), and are actively conducting research on these species. More information about the Desert Botanical Garden can be found at http://www.dbg.org

Much research is conducted in the organizations associated with conservation native to Arizona. In general, though, much more research is necessary for the future. Interest in the field of conservation is recently amplified, but the funding has not. There are many debates over the land: state versus federal and public versus private property (Brown 2005). The environment is also suffering due to global warming and increasing human population. Research should be targeted to focus on solving these issues of environment and political debate over land. Meanwhile, the ecosystems may continue to deteriorate.

Arizona Game and Fish Department.  (2013).  Threatened and Endangered Species Conservation.  Azgfd.gov.  Retrieved December 1, 2013, from http://www.azgfd.gov

Biggs, D. (December 2012). “Lifestyle values, resilience, and nature-based tourism's contribution to conservation on Australia's Great Barrier Reef”. In Environmental Conservation. Volume 39. Issue 4. p370-379. From DOI: 10.1017/S0376892912000239.

Brown, R.D.  (2005).  "The History of Wildlife Conservation and Reseach in the United States- and Implications for the Future."  In College of Natural Resources document.

Desert Botanical Garden, (2013). Research & Conservation.        Retrieved from http://www.dbg.org/research-conservation/species-    habitat-conservation

"Ecosystem Changes." Ecosystem Changes. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

Consirvation International. Freshwater Ecosystems: Sources, Flows and Services. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Owen, D. F. (October 1970). “Hawkmoths in Tropical African Gardens”. In Biological Conservation. Volume 3. Issue1. Elsevier Publishing Company Ltd, England.

Trout Unlimited.  (2012).  Take Action.  Tu.org.  Retrieved December 1, 2013 from http://www.tu.org/take-action

Turner, W., Brandon, K., Brooks, T., Constanza, R., Da Fonseca, G., Portela, R. (November 2007). “Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services”. In BioScience. Volume 57. Issue 10. p868-873. From DOI: 10.1641/B571009.