Team 3:Biological Resources

Travis LongKathryn PetersMelissa ProckSeth Scherm

Ch. 3.1 Biological Resources and Agriculture

• What are biological resources?

• Resources that affect agriculture

• Resources that provide scientific inputs

• Resources that generate natural goods and services

• Agriculture and Genetic Resources

• Comparing Wildlife and Genetic Resources

What are biological resources?

• Biological resources refer to the living landscape -- the plants, animals, & other aspects of nature that occur on farmland, forests, and other natural lands.

Resources that affect agriculture

• Natural resources that directly affect agriculture.

• It can be a positive or negative affect.

• Examples: cultivated plants, pollinators, pests, soil microbes, and domesticated animals.

Resources that provide scientific inputs

• Animal and plants genes that can be collected and analyzed for future scientific uses.

• Protecting genes preserve materials that may be useful in production of industrial and pharmaceutical products.

Resources that generate natural goods and services

• It is hard tp place a commodity value on these resources. Examples of these include wildlife, fish, and scenic beauty present in farmed and natural landscapes.

• These resources are divided into three categories based on the type of benefits they supply.

Types of Benefits Provided by Natural Goods and Services

• Consumptive Benefits --> active use of wildlife for activities such as hunting as fishing.

• Nonconsumptive Benefits--> activities such as wildlife viewing that do not directly harm plant and animal populations.

• Nonuse benefits--> people require no physical connection to acquire benefits from the resource. An example is the “existence value” of an ecosystem.

Agriculture and Wildlife

• Wildlife is important to the American people and to the U.S. economy.

• Wildlife oriented activities such as bird watching have increased in recent years.

• Hard to place a $ value.

• Abundant species value < Rare species value. White-tailed deer vs. bighorn sheep

Agriculture and Wildlife

• Agricultural lands are a major supplier of both wildlife habitat and access to wildlife-related goods and services.

• An example of agriculture, wildlife and economics all coming together is the leasing of farmland for recreational hunting.

• Economic incentives for farmers to allocate land as habitat is also helpful.

Agriculture and Genetic Resources

• Genetic resources: the genes found in all living things

• Can be stored in gene banks and enhance domestic and world food security through increased productivity and protection against yield variability due to diseases, pests, and environmental stress.

• Maintained by 2 techniques of preservation:• In situ- maintained in their natural environment• Ex situ- maintained in gene banks

Comparing Wildlife and Genetic Resources

• Both share a common feature: benefits they provide to society are not marketable commodities. Hard to value dollar-wise.

• Government programs to help include: the EQIP and CRP.

• Increase the overall supply of wildlife habitat.• Both will be examined in greater detail by my

other team members.

3.2 Crop Genetics

Crop GeneticsRelationship with Agriculture

In-situ

Found in wild / fields

Ex-situ

Found in banks, botanical

gardens, zoos

Research & Development

Productivity of Ag Production

Benefit Cost Analysis of Genetic Resources

Direct use valuesAgricultural inputs-breeding, pesticides, microorganisms

Indirect use values Ecosystem role

Option values Use in Future

Quasi-option values Information in conserved resources

Bequest values Future generations

Existence values Existence

Genomics

• Mapping the genome of an organism• Sequencing a single ind. From a given species• Identifying genes• Genetic variability and similarities within species• Gene function• Gene regulation• Gene interaction

Crop Genetics Benefits

• Crop genetic enhancements - $115 million welfare increase in U.S.

• Constitutes a large percentage of Agriculture Economy in other nations

Genetic Erosion

• Habitat Conversion – for Urban or Agricultural Use

• Widespread adoption of genetically uniform crop varieties

Genetic Conservation

• In-situ Conservation Benefits– Evolutionary process continues– Some germoplasm more efficient– Existing wild relatives pereserved

• In-situ Conservation Costs– Bourne by farmers– Can reduce farm productivity– Requires land– Farmer selections may not preserve targeted diversity

Genetic Conservation Con’t

• Ex-situ Conservation Benefits– Costs centralized– Large amounts of diverse germplasm– Readily accessed by more breeders– High security storage from natural disasters

• Ex-situ Conservation Costs– Some germplasm not easily stored– Regeneration costly, time consuming– Genetic drift– Insufficient funds, organization, documentation

Ex Situ: Benefits and Costs

Ex Situ: Benefits and Costs

• Long-term conservation of genetic material

• Store large amounts at low cost

• Not all resources can be held Ex Situ

• To costly to keep material alive

International Access to Genetic Resources

• Critical to maintaining rate of varietal improvement.

• Most important plant species originate outside the U.S.

Policies Protecting Genetic Resources

• NPGS

• Primary player in effort to secure and utilize germplasm

• Maintains base collection and backup seeds for germplasm

Policies to Protect Genetic Resources

• NPGS

• 85 Crops

• Elite, Landrace and wild

Polices to Protect Genetic Resources

• Genetic materials be held in situ

• Genetic materials be held ex situ

• Focus primarily on ex situ preservation

• International ex situ agreements

Policies to Protect Genetic Resources

• Collection

• Preservation ex situ

• Characterization

• Enhancement

Policies to Protect Genetic Resources

• Ex situ preservation efforts successful

• Results in NPGS becoming largest collectors and distributors

• Management system has yielded economic benefits for U.S. and World Agriculuture.

Problems with Current Gene Bank System

• Few wild relatives are held in banks

• Few may be receiving the adequate funding for material to fulfill its mission

• Lacks funding to complete evaluation regeneration of seed accessions

Internationally Held Genetic Resources

• Addressed by International Agreements

• Funding International germplasm preservation efforts

• CGIAR coordinates germplasm efforts

FAO-led International Undertaking

• 1983

• Major Controversy

• Free access to all germplasm

• Developing Countries disagreed

• Some resisted to it

FAO-led International Undertaking

• Meetings of FAO began to resolve issues

• 1993 Called for Soveriegn Rights

• Convention designed to promote conservation

• Had fairly wide reaching implications

• Focus of most recent Convention has been genetically modified organisms

Wildlife Resource Conservation

Chapter 3.3

Wildlife ConservationTrade-off

• U.S. farms accounted for 41% of land in lower 48 states in 1997

• The amount of wildlife on this land is immeasurable and very diverse

• What is the worth of protecting species?

Trade-off

• US Agriculture is one of the most competitive markets in US economy

• Typically operate at or near economic margin

• This severely limits farmers or ranchers to adopt programs or policies that support wildlife but means of limiting output

Distribution of Cost and Benefits

• Benefits are derived public goods

• Includes existence value, bequest value and option value

• Also can be common property resources, meaning they are available to anyone willing to incur the direct costs

• Ex. Fee hunting,

Cost Implications of Biology

• Wild species require four basic services: food, water, cover and interspersion

• Where agriculture diminishes any one of these four, then the species will be hurt

• Policies that do not provide for the biological needs of target species are unlikely to accomplish their objectives

• Any associated restrictions imposed on farm activities risk needless increase in production costs

Cost Implications, Con’t

• Policy must recognize that some programs are detrimental instead of beneficial

• Supporting a single species or group of species by protecting one specific kind of habitat can actually harm other habitats and hurt a more diverse population of wildlife.

Objectives of Wildlife Resource Conservation Policy

• “To balance between economics of production activities, the distribution of legal property rights, the biological needs of desired species and habitats, and social preferences regarding wildlife conservation”

• Minimize impacts of agricultural production on wild species and habitats

• Minimize impacts on agricultural producers of wildlife conservation programs

• Protect threatened and endangered species• Improve water quality and reduce soil erosion• Protect open space

Current Programs

• Long-run land retirement– WRP and CRP– Over 415,000 contracts in 2000

Current Programs

• Conservation Compliance– Provision of Farm Act– “by failing to adhere to conservation

compliance restrictions, farmers risk losing the benefits of imcome support, reduced production risk, and reduced marketing risk provided by the commodity program.

Current Programs

• Cost Sharing– USDA encourages implementation of habitat

improvements by providing financial assistance

– Include vegetative cover, restoring wetland and riparian zones and installing structure that benefit habitat

Current Programs

• Technical Assistance– Effective where there are changes farmers

can make in their production practices or land management decisions that favor wildlife and that are neutral with respect to their impact on net farm income

Global Warming & Agriculture

• Possible benefits:– Enhanced CO2 assimilation– Longer growing seasons– Increased precipitation

• Possible costs:– More frequent & severe droughts with heat stress– Faster growth, shorter growing periods,

shortened lifecycle– Sea-level rise; increased flooding & salinization

Consequences Vol. 1, No. 2, Summer 1995, US Global Change Research Information Office.