Conservation

• Conservation means keeping and protecting a hiving and changing environment.

• It is an active process involving an enormous range of projects.

Examples of conservation include:

• Reclaiming land after industrial use

• Helping to set up sustainable agriculture systems.

• Protection of a single threatened species

• Global legislation on pollution levels and greenhouse gas emissions

 Conservation Methods

There are two main ways of conserving animals and plants.

Ex-situ conservation

• Conserve them outside their natural habitat, in zoos or seed banks.

• When an organism is threatened with extinction, there is not time to conserve their

habitat or protect them in situ (on site).

• It is sometimes possible to conserve the species by removing some of the animals or

plants from their natural habitat.

• At worst, this enables their genetic material to be conserved and at best a breeding

population can eventually be returned to their natural habitat.

Examples: Ex-situ of plants - Seed banks

Ex situ of animals - Eg: zoos

Captive breeding programmes

• Individuals of an endangered species are bred in zoos and parks in an attempt to save

the species from extinction.

• Usually, the ultimate aim is to reintroduce the captive-bred animals into the wild to

restore the original populations

Problems with captive breeding and reintroduction Programmes

• There is not enough space or sufficient resources in zoos and parks for all the

endangered species.

• It is often difficult to provide the right conditions for breeding.

Eg: Giant panda is difficult to breed even when conditions are ideal.

• Reintroduction to the wild will be unsuccessful unless the original reason for the species

being pushed to the edge of extinction is removed.

• Animals that have been bred in captivity may have great problems in adjusting to

unsupported life in the wild.

In-situ conservation

• Conservation of organisms in the natural habitat of the organism.

• The conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery

of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of

domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed their

distinctive properties. [Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992].

Sustainability

• Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs

• Habitats and ecosystems can be conserved with less conflict by encouraging sustainable

methods of land use.

Example

Avoid illegal logging operations in rainforests use 'slash and burn' techniques (cutting

down all the trees and burning the ground afterwards).

• Use sustainable agriculture - Includes farming methods that minimize damage to the

environment and avoid monoculture.

• Improve the awareness among general public and motivate them, passionate about

conserving the rich biodiversity of the country thus promote ecotourism.