Chapter 13 Chapter Quiz

. The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, Project Budburst, and iNaturalist are citizen-scientist projects that enlist and train amateurs to collect data on biodiversity loss and other conservation issues. Which statement is a valid description of the importance of citizen-science projects?

They are of little value, because data collected by amateurs is unreliable.

They are sometimes useful in developed countries, but not in developing countries.

They are useful, but there are too few programs to have any noticeable impact.

They amass valuable data and inspire some participants to pursue conservation careers.

. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened for ratification at the Earth Summit in 1992. Currently, 193 countries have signed on to this binding agreement, which has three main goals: conserving biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from use of genetic resources. The CBD is one solution to which world conservation problem?

Developing countries often face pressure to develop their natural resources for income.

Many conservation issues are global in scope and involve many countries.

Economic decision-making often fails to include the value of ecosystem services.

Central governments often make conservation decisions with no input from affected people.

. A university student took a course called “Economic Tools for Conservation,” given by Conservation Strategy Fund. Then, she visited her home village in Papua, New Guinea, where residents were practicing deforestation to enable subsistence farming. She asked residents if they were better off in the long run clearing land for subsistence farming, or preserving the forest habitat and harvesting food from the jungle and their gardens. She taught them the skills to answer these questions for themselves. They chose to preserve the forests and their traditional way of life. This scenario is an example of

affected residents conducting a cost-benefit analysis including environmental costs.

an outside party or government conducting a cost-benefit analysis, ignoring environmental costs.

solving a conservation problem by applying the “polluter pays” principle.

affected residents receiving government income for maintaining ecosystem services.

. A practice could be considered “mainstreaming biodiversity” if it

enhances conservation in any way.

involves NGOs and citizen groups in decision-making.

integrates biodiversity and sustainable use into national decision-making processes.

involves lobbying banks or businesses to care more about conservation efforts.

. Tropical deciduous dry forests are easy to cut and burn, and therefore are often destroyed by subsistence farmers trying to make a living. A government in Central America, concerned with protecting biodiversity, decides to put a stop to this practice. After consulting with government officials and conservationists, they turn the forests into a protected area. They pass a law that prohibits cutting or burning in these forests, and requires citizens to stay on the land they currently own. What is one major factor that may prevent this law from solving the problem?

The lawmakers failed to consider that subsistence farmers can only exist by cutting trees.

The law should have specified which types of trees can be cut and which can remain.

The law should have been designed by conservationists alone, without help from government officials.

Local people affected by the law should have been included; they have no stake in the outcome and no idea how it could help them.

. A group of conservation organizations wants to set up a program in a poverty-stricken region of Africa. They want to combine protection of biodiversity with social justice concerns, making sure that local people are considered and their rights protected as the project progresses. To meet this goal, they might consider all these activities except

setting up green certification programs to allow people to market locally grown food products.

providing education programs to help children and adults understand the value of conservation.

dividing the region into protected areas where locals cannot go and free areas that locals can exploit.

getting local people involved in conservation programs that raise awareness and provide income.

. To meet the challenges of this century with regard to biodiversity, particularly given the imminent threat of climate change, conservation issues must be integrated into public policy. Therefore, one important goal of conservation biologists must be

prioritizing education to increase public support for conservation.

lobbying for more laws to prevent use of natural resources.

publishing more papers in scientific research journals.

remaining strictly scientific and staying out of politics.

. Oceanographer Sylvia Earle and environmental activist George Monbiot are among many committed conservationists who have given TED talks about their specialties. Others have made documentaries on nature or on specific species. Many movies and television shows now have environmental themes. Why are actions such as these important in the conservation movement?

They reach large numbers of people who may be unaware of conservation problems.

They add to our fund of scientific knowledge, just as research projects and papers do.

They may reach few people, but those they reach can often make political changes.

They are more effective than social media at introducing people to conservation issues.

. A conservation biologist joins a political party and campaigns within the party to help other members understand issues relating to climate change and biodiversity. She also belongs to several environmental organizations, which she supports by giving public talks and lobbying members of Congress on environmental issues. This person could best be described as a(n)

manager and practitioner of conservation projects.

political activist trying to influence public policy.

educator teaching the value of species conservation and biodiversity.

. A college student is concerned about the problem of plastics pollution and its impact on living organisms. He wants to address this problem on his college campus. If the student wants to make sure his audience of students and professors understands the connection between plastics use and preserving biodiversity, he would most likely undertake an educational campaign showing how

people can decrease their use of plastics.

animals are frequently killed by plastics.

plastics can best be recycled.

people can save money if they use fewer plastics.

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