Population and Conservation Ecology
Unit 2. Covers Population dynamics; Survivorship and life strategies; Human populations; Demographic transition; Population regulation; Threats to ecosystems; Forest conservation and conflicts; Forest management; In situ and ex situ conservation; Project Tiger and conservation laws.
About this unit
This unit explains how populations grow and are controlled, and why ecosystems and species are under threat. It begins with population ideas (birth, death, migration, survivorship, r- and K-strategies, carrying capacity, Malthus, demographic transition, J- and S-shaped growth). It then moves to conservation: threats to ecosystems, India’s forests and the conflicts around them, forest management, in situ and ex situ conservation, Project Tiger and India’s environmental laws.
How to prepare
Practise drawing and labelling population pyramids, survivorship curves and J/S growth curves, and practise simple population calculations. Memorise the stages of demographic transition. For conservation, make a list of laws with years (1927, 1972, 1980, 1986, 2002, 2006) and a list of movements and projects (Chipko, Appiko, Project Tiger 1973, JFM 1990). Link ideas: carrying capacity connects S-curves, Malthus and K-strategists.
Topics in this chapter
Population dynamics
Birth, death, immigration and emigration; age structure and population pyramids.
5 questionsSurvivorship and life strategies
Survivorship curves; r- and K-strategies.
5 questionsHuman populations
Carrying capacity, the Malthusian model and its critics, and unequal resource consumption.
5 questionsDemographic transition
Stages and factors of demographic transition.
5 questionsPopulation regulation
J-shaped and S-shaped growth; factors that regulate population size.
5 questionsThreats to ecosystems
Habitat destruction, genetic erosion, biodiversity loss, expanding agriculture, dams, waste and consumption.
5 questionsForest conservation and conflicts
India’s forests; tribal rights, tourism, poaching, roads and dams.
5 questionsForest management
Scientific forestry, social forestry, Joint Forest Management, ecotourism and the role of NGOs.
5 questionsIn situ and ex situ conservation
Sanctuaries, national parks, biosphere reserves, zoos, aquaria and plant collections.
5 questionsProject Tiger and conservation laws
Project Tiger as a case study; Acts and rules on forests, wildlife and biodiversity.
5 questions