19.7 - Conservation of Habitats

• conservation

  the protection and management of species and habitats in a sustainable way - so maximum use can be made in the future
• what does conservation involve?

  active intervention by humans to maintain ecosystems and biodiversity in its current stage of succession
• main reasons for conservation

  personal: to maintain our planet so maintain our life support system

  ethical: other species have been on Earth longer than us so should coexist with us

  economic: more species = more diversity = higher genetic diversity = make substances that could be valuable

  cultural and aesthetic: habitats enrich and inspire people
• conservation methods

  captive breeding programs

  protected areas

  seed banks

  fishing quotas

  relocation

  legislation and international agreements
• captive breeding programs

  breeding endangered species in controlled environments to increase population numbers and reintroduce them into their habitats
• benefit of captive breeding programs

  preserve genetic diversity and prevent extinction
• limitation of captive breeding programs

  expensive

  may not always succeed because animals may struggle to adapt in the wild
• protected areas

  regions designated for preservation of species and habitats by restricting urban and industrial development and farming
• benefit of protected areas

  help maintain ecosystems and protect species
• limitation of protected areas

  enforcement can be hard

  local communities may be affected by land restrictions
• seed banks

  stores of seeds of different plant species that can be used if plant species go extinct
• benefit of seed banks

  preserve plant diversity

  provide safeguard against plant extinction due to disease, climate change or natural disasters
• limitation of seed banks

  challenging to maintain seed viability over long periods
• fishing quotas

  limit to the amount of fish species fishermen can catch so reduces numbers that are caught and killed
• relocation

  moving species population to a new location
• legislation and international agreements

  laws and treaties that protect species by banning hunting, trading or exploitation
• benefit of legislations and international agreements

  powerful if widely supported
• limitation of legislation and international agreements

  enforcement varies between countries

  may be ignored due to a lack of resources or corruption
• why is conservation by managing succession done?

  many of the species that existed in the earlier stages of succession aren't present in the climax community because their habitats have disappeared or have been outcompeted or taken over by human activities
• plagioclimax

  when succession is stopped artificially
• how is conservation by managing succession done?

  animals graze the land so eat growing shrubs and trees which stops them from establishing themselves which helps keep vegetation low

  managed fires: after that secondary succession happens so pioneer species are conserved
• conflicting interests

  there's a conflict between human needs and conservation so careful management is needed to find a balance between the two to maintain the sustainability of natural resources