Sometimes saving an individual species can also be good for the economy. Restoration and conservation of banner species, such as mountain gorillas, eagles, and wolves, provide viewing opportunities for wildlife enthusiasts. Travel to natural areas to observe animals is just one facet of ecotourism, recreational travel that helps conserve the environment and improves the well-being of local people. The Ugandan government charges tourists $500 to spend just one hour watching mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve—and that doesn’t include all the money spent on lodging, food, and travel. A University of Montana study estimated that the presence of wolves in Yellowstone has brought in $35 million in tourist dollars. Wildlife watchers in the United States spend nearly $40 billion annually. Globally, ecotourism is valued at hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars.

Hunting for trophies and meat can also play a positive role in biodiversity, so long as it is properly regulated. In Namibia, wildlife conservancies managed by local indigenous communities with the help of the World Wildlife Fund allow limited hunting of big game species, which would otherwise be extirpated from the landscape. Money spent on hunting fees goes toward conservation initiatives and is funneled back into the communities, creating a sustainable income stream. Studies have shown that individual trophy hunters spend more money and time visiting more remote local communities than do ecotourists.

One 2007 study in the journal Biological Conservation found that in 23 countries, 1.4 million square kilometers of land was set aside for trophy hunting, an area that exceeded all other protected areas in the region. Since the country of Kenya banned wildlife trophy hunting in 1977, much of the land has been converted to livestock and agriculture, resulting in losses of 60% to 70% of large mammals. By contrast, wildlife is booming in southern African countries that allow hunting, and the importance of the industry means that these countries have more funds to fight illegal poaching. In addition, the wildlife-associated industries provide many local residents with jobs, which has contributed to a decrease in poaching.

Species can provide other economic benefits to humans as well. A 2005 survey found that about half of the drugs used to treat human disease were first isolated as natural chemicals produced by plants, fungi, bacteria, or animals. In 1997, 118 of the top 150 prescription drugs used in the United States were derived from natural sources. Of these, 74% were based on compounds isolated from plants, 18% from fungi, 5% from bacteria, and 3% from a species of snake. For example, the rosy periwinkle, Cantharanthus roseus, a plant native to the tropical dry forests of Madagascar, is the source of two important drugs. One drug, used to treat childhood leukemia, increased the odds of surviving the disease from 20% to 99%. The other is used to treat Hodgkin’s disease. According to the World Resources Institute, plant-derived medicines are worth over $40 billion worldwide each year, and there is still great potential for discovery of new medicines within the great diversity of plants.

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It’s not always possible to predict how a specific species will benefit humanity. In 1966 Thomas Brock of Indiana University isolated a bacterial species he named Thermus aquaticus from several springs in Yellowstone National Park (see Figure 4.2), one of Earth’s most unique and harsh ecosystems. This thermophilic, or heat-loving, bacterium thrives in hot temperatures ranging from 50°C to 80°C (122°F to 176°F). He deposited cultures of T. aquaticus in the American Type Culture Collection, where the newly discovered bacterium would be available to other researchers.

Twenty years later, scientists from Cetus Company obtained T. aquaticus samples from the culture from which they extracted an enzyme called Taq polymerase. This enzyme could be used to amplify small quantities of DNA, a process requiring an enzyme that is stable at high temperatures, and it is widely used in modern medical diagnosis and forensics. Had Yellowstone not been protected 100 years earlier, that enzyme might never have been discovered. Undoubtedly, intact natural ecosystems harbor countless other species, the value of which cannot be calculated or anticipated at this time. In Chapter 4, we will explore how ecosystems as a whole provide valuable services to humanity and how conserving large areas can protect these services. Marine-protected areas are discussed in Chapter 8.

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