The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
39-484: See text Macroperipatus is a genus of Neotropical velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. Velvet worms in this genus can have as few as 24 pairs of legs (in M. guianensis ) or as many as 42 leg pairs (in M. torquatus ). This genus is viviparous , with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta. The genus contains the following species: Macroperipatus geayi (Bouvier, 1899)
78-901: A country's wealth; however, a sudden inflow of money caused by a resource boom can create social problems including inflation harming other industries (" Dutch disease ") and corruption, leading to inequality and underdevelopment, this is known as the " resource curse ". Extractive industries represent a large growing activity in many less-developed countries but the wealth generated does not always lead to sustainable and inclusive growth . People often accuse extractive industry businesses as acting only to maximize short-term value, implying that less-developed countries are vulnerable to powerful corporations. Alternatively, host governments are often assumed to be only maximizing immediate revenue . Researchers argue there are areas of common interest where development goals and business cross. These present opportunities for international governmental agencies to engage with
117-516: A fish, or it may be transformed by extractivist industries into an economically useful form that must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores , rare-earth elements , petroleum , timber and most forms of energy . Some resources are renewable , which means that they can be used at a certain rate and natural processes will restore them. In contrast, many extractive industries rely heavily on non-renewable resources that can only be extracted once. Natural resource allocations can be at
156-465: A major source of social unrest and conflicts in developing nations. At present, there is a particular concern for rainforest regions that hold most of the Earth's biodiversity. According to Nelson, deforestation and degradation affect 8.5% of the world's forests with 30% of the Earth's surface already cropped. If we consider that 80% of people rely on medicines obtained from plants and 3 ⁄ 4 of
195-515: Is a type of land management that seeks to conserve , protect and restore habitat areas for wild plants and animals , especially conservation reliant species , and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range . Natural resource management is a discipline in the management of natural resources such as land, water , soil , plants , and animals —with a particular focus on how management affects quality of life for present and future generations. Hence, sustainable development
234-438: Is another factor causing depletion of natural resources. For example, the depletion of nutrients in the soil due to excessive use of nitrogen and desertification . The depletion of natural resources is a continuing concern for society. This is seen in the cited quote given by Theodore Roosevelt , a well-known conservationist and former United States president, who was opposed to unregulated natural resource extraction. In 1982,
273-644: Is considered a nomen dubium by Oliveira et al. 2012. This velvet worm -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Neotropical In biogeography , the Neotropic or Neotropical realm is one of the eight terrestrial realms . This realm includes South America, Central America , the Caribbean Islands , and southern North America. In Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula and southern lowlands, and most of
312-510: Is considered a sustainable development issue. The term sustainable development has many interpretations, most notably the Brundtland Commission's 'to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'; however, in broad terms it is balancing the needs of the planet's people and species now and in the future. In regards to natural resources, depletion
351-815: Is delimited by similarities in fauna or flora . Its fauna and flora are distinct from the Nearctic realm (which includes most of North America) because of the long separation of the two continents. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama joined the two continents two to three million years ago, precipitating the Great American Interchange , an important biogeographical event. The Neotropic includes more tropical rainforest ( tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ) than any other realm, extending from southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America to southern Brazil, including
390-571: Is endemic to the Neotropic realm, occupying a larger geographic area than any other piranha species. Some fish groups originally unique to the Neotropics include: Examples of other animal groups that are entirely or mainly restricted to the Neotropical region include: According to Simberloff. as of 1984 there were a total of 92,128 species of flowering plants (Angiosperms) in the Neotropics. Plant families endemic and partly subendemic to
429-417: Is followed according to the judicious use of resources to supply present and future generations. The disciplines of fisheries, forestry, and wildlife are examples of large subdisciplines of natural resource management. Management of natural resources involves identifying who has the right to use the resources and who does not to define the management boundaries of the resource. The resources may be managed by
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#1732783903225468-725: Is mostly covered by tropical moist broadleaf forest , including the vast Amazon rainforest , which stretches from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and the lowland forests of the Guianas . The bioregion also includes tropical savanna and tropical dry forest ecoregions. The Central Andes lie between the Gulfs of Guayaquil and Penas and thus encompass southern Ecuador, Chile, Peru, western Bolivia, and northwest and western Argentina. Eastern South America includes
507-596: Is of concern for sustainable development as it has the ability to degrade current environments and the potential to impact the needs of future generations. "The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve all others." Theodore Roosevelt Depletion of natural resources is associated with social inequity . Considering most biodiversity are located in developing countries, depletion of this resource could result in losses of ecosystem services for these countries. Some view this depletion as
546-666: Is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species , their habitats , and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction . It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on science, economics and the practice of natural resource management . The term conservation biology was introduced as the title of a conference held at the University of California, San Diego , in La Jolla, California, in 1978, organized by biologists Bruce A. Wilcox and Michael E. Soulé . Habitat conservation
585-838: The Caatinga xeric shrublands of northeastern Brazil, the broad Cerrado grasslands and savannas of the Brazilian Plateau , and the Pantanal and Chaco grasslands. The diverse Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil are separated from the forests of Amazonia by the Caatinga and Cerrado, and are home to a distinct flora and fauna. North of the Gulf of Guayaquil in Ecuador and Colombia, a series of accreted oceanic terranes (discrete allochthonous fragments) have developed that constitute
624-523: The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event altered local flora and fauna. Much later, about two to three million years ago, South America was joined with North America by the formation of the Isthmus of Panama , which allowed a biotic exchange between the two continents, the Great American Interchange . South American species like the ancestors of the Virginia opossum ( Didelphis virginiana ) and
663-583: The United Nations developed the World Charter for Nature , which recognized the need to protect nature from further depletion due to human activity. It states that measures must be taken at all societal levels, from international to individual, to protect nature. It outlines the need for sustainable use of natural resources and suggests that the protection of resources should be incorporated into national and international systems of law. To look at
702-547: The armadillo moved into North America, and North Americans like the ancestors of South America's camelids , including the llama ( Lama glama ), moved south. The long-term effect of the exchange was the extinction of many South American species, mostly by outcompetition by northern species. The Neotropical realm has 31 endemic bird families, which is over twice the number of any other realm. They include tanagers , rheas , tinamous , curassows , antbirds , ovenbirds , toucans , and seriemas . Bird families originally unique to
741-552: The private sector and host governments through revenue management and expenditure accountability, infrastructure development, employment creation , skills and enterprise development , and impacts on children, especially girls and women. A strong civil society can play an important role in ensuring the effective management of natural resources. Norway can serve as a role model in this regard as it has good institutions and open and dynamic public debate with strong civil society actors that provide an effective checks and balances system for
780-689: The temperate rain forests of the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregions, and the Juan Fernández Islands and Desventuradas Islands , are a refuge for the ancient Antarctic flora , which includes trees like the southern beech ( Nothofagus ), podocarps , the alerce ( Fitzroya cupressoides ), and Araucaria pines like the monkey-puzzle tree ( Araucaria araucana ). These rainforests are endangered by extensive logging and their replacement by fast-growing non-native pines and eucalyptus . South America
819-604: The Baudo, or Coastal, Mountains and the Cordillera Occidental. The Orinoco is a region of humid forested broadleaf forest and wetland primarily comprising the drainage basin for the Orinoco River and other adjacent lowland forested areas. This region includes most of Venezuela and parts of Colombia, as well as Trinidad and Tobago . The temperate forest ecoregions of southwestern South America, including
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#1732783903225858-691: The Neotropic include Bromeliaceae , Cannaceae and Heliconiaceae . Plant species with economic importance originally unique to the Neotropic include: Natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. On Earth , it includes sunlight , atmosphere , water , land , all minerals along with all vegetation , and wildlife . Natural resources are part of humanity's natural heritage or protected in nature reserves . Particular areas (such as
897-452: The Neotropics include hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) and wrens (family Troglodytidae). Mammal groups originally unique to the Neotropics include: The Neotropical realm has 63 endemic fish families and subfamilies, which is more than any other realm. Neotropical fishes include more than 5,700 species, and represent at least 66 distinct lineages in continental freshwaters (Albert and Reis, 2011). The well-known red-bellied piranha
936-771: The centre of many economic and political confrontations both within and between countries. This is particularly true during periods of increasing scarcity and shortages ( depletion and overconsumption of resources). Resource extraction is also a major source of human rights violations and environmental damage. The Sustainable Development Goals and other international development agendas frequently focus on creating more sustainable resource extraction, with some scholars and researchers focused on creating economic models, such as circular economy , that rely less on resource extraction, and more on reuse , recycling and renewable resources that can be sustainably managed. There are various criteria for classifying natural resources. These include
975-703: The east and west coastlines, including the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula are Neotropical. In the United States southern Florida and coastal Central Florida are considered Neotropical. The realm also includes temperate southern South America. In contrast, the Neotropical Floristic Kingdom excludes southernmost South America, which instead is placed in the Antarctic kingdom . The Neotropic
1014-567: The government as in Norway's case, natural resources can actually be a factor in whether a civil war starts and how long the war lasts. In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has become a major focus of governments and organizations such as the United Nations (UN). This is evident in the UN's Agenda 21 Section Two, which outlines the necessary steps for countries to take to sustain their natural resources. The depletion of natural resources
1053-510: The government's management of extractive industries, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources. It seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sectors. However, in countries that do not have a very strong and unified society, meaning that there are dissidents who are not as happy with
1092-661: The importance of protecting natural resources further, the World Ethic of Sustainability, developed by the IUCN , WWF and the UNEP in 1990, set out eight values for sustainability, including the need to protect natural resources from depletion. Since the development of these documents, many measures have been taken to protect natural resources including establishment of the scientific field and practice of conservation biology and habitat conservation, respectively. Conservation biology
1131-404: The nature of the shared resources, the individuals who are affected by the rules can participate in setting or changing them. The users have rights to devise their own management institutions and plans under the recognition by the government. The right to resources includes land, water, fisheries, and pastoral rights. The users or parties accountable to the users have to actively monitor and ensure
1170-410: The near-exponential expansion of urbanization , roads, pastoralism and forest industries which encroach on their customary lands and environment. Nevertheless, amidst these declining circumstances this vast "reservoir" of human diversity continues to survive, albeit much depleted. In South America alone, some 350–400 indigenous languages and dialects are still living (down from an estimated 1,500 at
1209-510: The rainforest in Fatu-Hiva ) often feature biodiversity and geodiversity in their ecosystems. Natural resources may be classified in different ways. Natural resources are materials and components (something that can be used) found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources (at its fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as freshwater, air , or any living organism such as
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1248-580: The realm are, according to Takhtajan (1978), Hymenophyllopsidaceae , Marcgraviaceae , Caryocaraceae , Pellicieraceae , Quiinaceae , Peridiscaceae , Bixaceae , Cochlospermaceae , Tovariaceae , Lissocarpaceae ( Lissocarpa ), Brunelliaceae , Dulongiaceae , Columelliaceae , Julianiaceae , Picrodendraceae , Goupiaceae , Desfontainiaceae , Plocospermataceae , Tropaeolaceae , Dialypetalanthaceae ( Dialypetalanthus ), Nolanaceae ( Nolana ), Calyceraceae , Heliconiaceae , Cannaceae , Thurniaceae and Cyclanthaceae . Plant families that originated in
1287-693: The realm into bioregions , defined as "geographic clusters of ecoregions that may span several habitat types, but have strong biogeographic affinities, particularly at taxonomic levels higher than the species level (genus, family)." Laurel forest and other cloud forest are subtropical and mild temperate forest , found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. Tropical rainforest , tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests are highlight in Southern North America, Amazonia, Caribbean, Central America, Northern Andes and Central Andes. The Amazonia bioregion
1326-591: The source of origin, stages of development, renewability and ownership . Resource extraction involves any activity that withdraws resources from nature. This can range in scale from the traditional use of preindustrial societies to global industry. Extractive industries are, along with agriculture, the basis of the primary sector of the economy. Extraction produces raw material , which is then processed to add value . Examples of extractive industries are hunting , trapping , mining , oil and gas drilling , and forestry . Natural resources can add substantial amounts to
1365-478: The time of first European contact ), in about 37 distinct language families and a further number of unclassified and isolate languages . Many of these languages and their cultures are also endangered. Accordingly, conservation in the Neotropical realm is a hot political concern, and raises many arguments about development versus indigenous versus ecological rights and access to or ownership of natural resources . The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) subdivides
1404-443: The users according to the rules governing when and how the resource is used depending on local condition or the resources may be managed by a governmental organization or other central authority. A "...successful management of natural resources depends on freedom of speech, a dynamic and wide-ranging public debate through multiple independent media channels and an active civil society engaged in natural resource issues..." because of
1443-462: The vast Amazon rainforest . These rainforest ecoregions are one of the most important reserves of biodiversity on Earth. These rainforests are also home to a diverse array of indigenous peoples , who to varying degrees persist in their autonomous and traditional cultures and subsistence within this environment. The number of these peoples who are as yet relatively untouched by external influences continues to decline significantly, however, along with
1482-487: The world's prescription medicines have ingredients taken from plants, loss of the world's rainforests could result in a loss of finding more potential life-saving medicines. The depletion of natural resources is caused by 'direct drivers of change' such as mining , petroleum extraction , fishing , and forestry as well as 'indirect drivers of change' such as demography (e.g. population growth), economy, society, politics, and technology. The current practice of agriculture
1521-485: Was originally part of the supercontinent of Gondwana , which included Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Antarctica, and the Neotropic shares many plant and animal lineages with these other continents, including marsupial mammals and the Antarctic flora . After the final breakup of the Gondwana about 110 million years ago, South America was separated from Africa and drifted north and west. 66 million years ago,
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