CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION
Conservation is the maintenance of biodiversity through human management or action. This
includes the maintaining diversity between species, genetic diversity within a species and the
maintenance of habits.
Preservation is the protection of an area by restricting or banning human interference so that the
ecosystem is kept in its original state. It is commonly used to preserve sensitive resources that can
be easily damaged, such as fossils.
An example of conservation is the conservation of wetlands (Ramsar convention). The destruction of
wetlands is a concern because they are some of the most productive habitats on the planet. They
often support high concentrations of animals—including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates.
Wetlands also support the cultivation of rice, a staple in the diet of half the world’s population. And
they provide a range of ecosystem services that benefit humanity, including water filtration, storm
protection, flood control and recreation. They are being protected by limiting the number of people
who have access to the wetlands. They are also preventing people from filling material in a wetland,
removing soil or constructing on a wetland.
An example of preservation is the preservation of the giant panda in China. Giant pandas were listed
on the endangered species list. By protecting their habitat there has been a population increase in
the last decade which means that giant pandas are no longer endangered.
Conservation is the maintenance of biodiversity through human management or action. This
includes the maintaining diversity between species, genetic diversity within a species and the
maintenance of habits.
Preservation is the protection of an area by restricting or banning human interference so that the
ecosystem is kept in its original state. It is commonly used to preserve sensitive resources that can
be easily damaged, such as fossils.
An example of conservation is the conservation of wetlands (Ramsar convention). The destruction of
wetlands is a concern because they are some of the most productive habitats on the planet. They
often support high concentrations of animals—including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates.
Wetlands also support the cultivation of rice, a staple in the diet of half the world’s population. And
they provide a range of ecosystem services that benefit humanity, including water filtration, storm
protection, flood control and recreation. They are being protected by limiting the number of people
who have access to the wetlands. They are also preventing people from filling material in a wetland,
removing soil or constructing on a wetland.
An example of preservation is the preservation of the giant panda in China. Giant pandas were listed
on the endangered species list. By protecting their habitat there has been a population increase in
the last decade which means that giant pandas are no longer endangered.
