Conservation

• Climate change causes the global temperatures to increase. This increases the frequency of extreme weather events all over the world. These changes in climate mean that many plants and animals will no longer survive
• A growing population means an increase in the demand for resources such as food firewood and land. The population often takes more from the environment then it needs. As a result, biological resources are being depleted and ecosystems destroyed, and so biodiversity is lost
• Conservation means keeping and protecting a living and changing environment. It is an active process
• Examples of conservation:

  • reclaiming land after industrial use
  • helping to set up sustainable agriculture systems in the developed world
  • protection of a single threatened species
  • global legislation on pollution levels and greenhouse gas emissions
• There are two main ways of conserving animals and plants. We can conserve them outside their natural habitat, in zoos or seed banks. This is called ex-situ conservation. The alternative is in-situ conservation, which takes place in the natural habitat of the organism
• Ex-situ conservation is the conservation of components of biological diversity (living organisms) outside their natural habitats. This enables their genetic material to be conserved and a breeding population can be returned to their natural habitat.
• If species of plants become extinct, it could also have negative effects on humans. To avoid this, cross-breeding crop plants back to original wild plants, or using wild plants to supply genes for genetic engineering can prevent this
• Biological gardens can also ensure the survival of endangered plants that usually unique.
• Seed banks are used to preserve seeds from endangered species in case they become extinct. Live seeds are collected from the wild and then screened to ensure they contain fully developed embryos. They then dried, and can survive and remain capable of germinating.
• For animals, zoos and wildlife parks are very important in animal conservation. In captive breeding programmes individuals of an endangered species are bred in zoos and parks in an attempt to save the species from extinction. The ultimate aim is to reintroduce the captive-bred animals into the wild to restore the original populations
• There are several problems with captive breeding and reintroduction programmes
• There are several problems with captive breeding and reintroduction programmes:

  • There is not enough space or sufficient resources in zoos and parks for endangered species
  • Often difficult to provide the right conditions for breeding
  • Animals that have been bred in captivity may have great problems in adjusting to unsupported life in the wild
  • When the population is small, the gene pool is reduced - zoos try to overcome inbreeding and to maximise genetic variation in the offspring
• Reintroduction to the wild will be unsuccessful unless the original reason for the species being pushed to the edge of extinction is removed. Also reintroduction programmes can be very expensive and time consuming and they may fail
• Habitats and ecosystems can be conserved with less conflicts by encouraging sustainable methods of land use. For example illegal logging operations in rainforests use ‘slash and burn’ techniques to harvest wood to sell and clear the soil for farming. The soil is soon exhausted and biodiversity is lost
• Trees can be harvested selectively and replanted for the future, biodiversity can be maintained while people continue to use the forest for income. This is sustainable forestry
• Sustainable agriculture includes farming methods that minimise damage to the environment and avoids monoculture. They involve using organic fertilisers, minimising the use of artificial fertilisers and chemical pesticides, using biological pest control, maintaining hedgerows and planting in rotation to avoid the soil becoming exhausted
• Tourism can be developed so it is sustainable, does minimum damage to the environment, provides jobs and money for local people and so maintain biodiversity
• Zoos, national parks and seed banks are all important in educating people. They allow people to see animals and plants from other parts of the world. They explain different environments and how they are threatened by human behaviour. They show how threatened species can be protected