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Biodiversityvalue•Directvalue•IndirectvalueBiodiversityvalue•Directvalue–Providefoodandenergy.–Providerichresourcesofmedicinalherbs.–Provideindustrialrawmaterials.Biodiversityvalue•Indirectvalue–Maintainthebalanceandstabilityofecologicalsystem–Solarfixed–Hydrologyregulation–Climateregulation–absorptionanddecompositionofpollutants,–Storageofnutrientelementsandpromotenutrientcycling–maintenanceoftheevolutionaryprocessThreat-ExcessivedeforestationThreat-IndustrialpollutionThreat-ExcessiveexploitationCaseStudy•CostaRica'sleadingagriculturalproduceshavelongincludedbeefandbananas,whoseproductionandcultivationrequireextensiveenvironmentalmodification.0.86m12%80%3.34m33%25%00.511.522.533.54PopulationFarmlandForestcoverage19451995Atthebegining•TheQuakersreliedonmilkandcheeseformuchoftheireconomicactivity,•Theyalsosetasideone-thirdoftheirlandforconservation.•TheQuakers'efforts,alongwithcontributionsfrominternationalconservationorganizations•ProvidedthebeginningsofwhatistodaytheMonteverdeCloudForestBiologicalReserve.Quakers:Quakers(orFriends,astheyrefertothemselves)aremembersofafamilyofreligiousmovementscollectivelyknownastheReligiousSocietyofFriends.TheQuakersmakeitstartThisprivatelymanaged10,500-ha(26,000-acre)reservewasestablishedin1972toprotecttheforestanditspopulationsof2,500plantspecies,400birdspecies,500butterflyspecies,100mammalspecies,and120reptileandamphibianspecies,includingthegoldentoad.MonteverdeCloudForestBiologicalReserve•In1970,theCostaRicangovernmentandinternationalrepresentativescametogethertocreatethecountry'sfirstnationalparksandprotectedareas.•Thefirstparkscenteredonareasofspectacularscenery,suchasTortugueroNationalParkessentialnestingbeachesforthegreenturtleCahuitaNationalParkprotectaprominentcoralreefsystemPoasVolcanoNationalParkSantaRosaNationalParkencompassedvaluabletropicaldryforestInitiallythegovernmentgavetheparkslittlerealsupport.AccordingtoCostaRicanconservationistMarioBoza,intheirearlyyearstheparksweregrantedonlyfiveguards,onevehicle,andnofundingTodaygovernmentsupportisgreater.Fully12%ofthenation'sareaiscontainedinnationalparks,andafurther16%isdevotedtoothertypesofwildlifeandconservationreserves.CostaRicans,alongwithinternationalbiologists,areworkingtoprotectendangeredspeciesandrecovertheirpopulations.Thebenefitsoftheirconservationefforts-notonlyecologicalbenefits,butalsoeconomicones.TouristsfromaroundtheworldnowvisitCostaRica,aphenomenoncalledecotourismTheecotourismindustrydrawsmorethan1millionvisitorstoCostaRicaeachyear,providesthousandsofjobstoCostaRicans,andisamajorcontributortothecountry'seconomy.It’scontributions(40%)outweighthoseofindustry(22%)andagriculture(13%)combined.CostaRicahasprotectedawidearrayofitsdiversenaturalareas.Thisprotectionhasstimulatedthenation'seconomythroughecotourism.Here,visitorsexperienceawalkwaythroughtheforestcanopyinoneofthenation'sparksHowBesttoConserveBiodiversity?•Mostpeopleviewnationalparksandecotourismasexcellentwaystohelpkeepecologicalsystemsintact.•Yetthegoldentoadwentextinctdespitelivingwithinareserveestablishedtoprotectit,andclimatechangedoesnotpayattentiontoparkboundaries.•ItremainstobeseenhoweffectivelyecotourismcanhelppreservenaturalsystemsinCostaRicainthelongterm.•Asforestsoutsidetheparksdisappear,theparksarebeginningtosufferfromillegalhuntingandtimberextraction.•Theparksarestillunderprotectedandunderfunded.•Stillneedmoremoneytopreservehabitat,protectendangeredspecies,andrestorealteredcommunitiestotheirformerconditionWhatlessonscanwetakefromthisabouttheconservationofbiodiversity?Conclusion•ThegoldentoadandotherorganismsoftheMonteverdecloudforesthavehelpedilluminatethefundamentalsofevolutionandpopulationecologythatareintegraltoenvironmentalscience.•Theevolutionaryprocessesofnaturalselection,speciation,andextinctionhelpdetermineEarth'sbiodiversity.•Understandinghowecologicalprocessesworkatthepopulationleveliscrucialtoprotectingbiodiversitythreatenedbythemassextinctionevent•Manybiologistsmaintainisalreadyunderway