Biodiversity and Conservation Flashcards
6 cards from real Environmental Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Biodiversity and Conservation flashcards as text
What is the primary driver of global biodiversity loss today?
Answer: Habitat destruction and land use change
Habitat destruction and land conversion for agriculture, urban development, and other uses is the leading cause of global species loss.
Which ecosystem service do bees and other pollinators provide that is critical to food production?
Answer: Pollination of food crops
Pollinators transfer pollen between flowers enabling reproduction for about 75% of flowering plants including many food crops.
What is the difference between direct (use) value and indirect (non-use) value of biodiversity?
Answer: Direct values come from using species (food, medicine); indirect values include ecological functions like water purification
Direct values include economic uses (food, medicine, materials) while indirect values are ecosystem services (clean water, climate regulation) that don't involve harvesting.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) established which global target framework for protecting biodiversity by 2030?
Answer: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) includes the '30×30' target to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030.
What is ecosystem restoration, and why is it prioritized in conservation?
Answer: Actively helping degraded ecosystems recover; prioritized because natural regeneration is often too slow given biodiversity crisis
Ecosystem restoration involves active interventions to help degraded habitats recover, and is prioritized because passive recovery is often too slow to address accelerating biodiversity loss.
What is the 'tragedy of the commons' as it applies to environmental science?
Answer: The overexploitation of shared resources when individual users act in self-interest without regulation
Garrett Hardin's concept describes how shared resources get depleted when each user maximizes their own benefit without accounting for collective impact.