Biological Sciences
Conservation
Conservation refers to the protection, preservation, and sustainable management of natural resources, including biodiversity, ecosystems, and wildlife. It aims to maintain the balance of ecosystems and prevent the extinction of species by addressing threats such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Conservation efforts often involve scientific research, policy development, and community engagement to promote environmental sustainability.
Written by Perlego with AI-assistance
Related key terms
1 of 5
11 Key excerpts on "Conservation"
eBook - PDF- K V Krishnamurthy(Author)
- 2003(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
This is amply reflected in the definition of Conservation provided in the first World Conservation Strategy: 'The management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present generations, while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Thus, Conservation is positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilisation, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment' IUCN 1980). In other words, 'Conservation is a philosophy of managing the environment in such a way that it does not despoil, exhaust, or extinguish it or the resources and values it contains'. Modem Conservation biology traces its roots to the first International Conference on Conservation Biology at San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1973. A separate field of Conservation biology emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a response by the scientific community to the biodiversity crisis (Soul6and Wilcox 1980). Therefore, Conservationbiology was also called a 'crisis discipline' (Soul6 1985). The Society for Conservation Biology was founded in 1985 and has rapidly grown to include more than 3600 professional members (Duthie 1997). Many, however, would be tempted to ask the question, 'what is so new about Conservation biology?', since people have been practising Conservation for centuries (Meffe and Carroll 1994). But the 'new' and 'rejuvenated' Conservation biology differs from the old in at least three respects (Meffe and Carroll 1994):(i) It now includes and, in fact, has been led in part by important contributions from theoretical academicians whose ecological/genetical models are increasingly applied to real-world situations. (ii) Most, if not all, traditional Conservation efforts were based on an economic and utilitarian philosophy, which considers the maintenance, of high yields of selected species for harvest as the principal motivating factor.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- University Publications(Publisher)
Conservation biology is concerned with phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biodiversity and the science of sustaining evolutionary processes that engender genetic, population, species, and ecosystem diversity. The concern stems from estimates suggesting that up to 50% of all species on the planet will disappear within the next 50 years, which has contributed to poverty, starvation, and will reset the course of evolution on this planet. Conservation biologists research and educate on the trends and process of biodiversity loss, species extinctions, and the negative affect this is having on our capabilities to sustain the well-being of human society. Conservation biologists work in the field and office, in government, universities, non-profit organizations and industry. They are funded to research, monitor, and catalog every angle of the earth and its relation to society. The topics are diverse, because this is an interdisciplinary network with professional alliances in the biological as well as social sciences. Those dedicated to the cause and profession advocate for a global response to the current biodiversity crisis based on morals, ethics, and scientific reason. Organizations and citizens are responding to the biodiversity crisis through Conservation action plans that direct research, monitoring, and education programs that engage concerns at local through global scales. Context and trends Conservation biologists study trends and process from the paleontological past to the ecological present as they gain an understanding of the context related to species extinction. It is generally accepted that there have been five major global mass extinctions that register in Earth's history. These include: the Ordovician (440 mya), Devonian (370 mya), Permian–Triassic (245 mya), Triassic–Jurassic (200 mya), and Cretaceous (65 mya) extinction spasms.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Academic Studio(Publisher)
Conservation biology is concerned with phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biodiversity and the science of sustaining evolutionary processes that engender genetic, population, species, and ecosystem diversity. The concern stems from estimates suggesting that up to 50% of all species on the planet will disappear within the next 50 years, which has contributed to poverty, starvation, and will reset the course of evolution on this planet. Conservation biologists research and educate on the trends and process of biodiversity loss, species extinctions, and the negative affect this is having on our capabilities to sustain the well-being of human society. Conservation biologists work in the field and office, in government, universities, non-profit organizations and industry. They are funded to research, monitor, and catalog every angle of the earth and its relation to society.The topics are diverse, because this is an interdisciplinary network with professional alliances in the biological as well as social sciences. Those dedicated to the cause and profession advocate for a global response to the current biodiversity crisis based on morals, ethics, and scientific reason. Organizations and citizens are responding to the biodiversity crisis through Conservation action plans that direct research, monitoring, and education programs that engage concerns at local through global scales. Context and trends Conservation biologists study trends and process from the paleontological past to the ecological present as they gain an understanding of the context related to species extinction. It is generally accepted that there have been five major global mass extinctions that register in Earth's history. These include: the Ordovician (440 mya), Devonian (370 mya), Permian–Triassic (245 mya), Triassic–Jurassic (200 mya), and Cretaceous (65 mya) extinction spasms.
eBook - PDF- W. Johnny Wilson, Richard Primack(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Open Book Publishers(Publisher)
Someday, people will likely look back and say that this time—the first half of the 21st century—was an important and exciting time when people worked together, and acted locally and globally, to prevent the extinction of many species and ecosystems. Examples of successful Conservation efforts are described throughout this textbook. 1.1. Conservation Biology is Still Evolving As a distinct scientific field, Conservation biology is an integrated, multidisciplinary subject that developed in response to the challenge of preserving populations, species, ecosystems, and biological interactions . The main aim of Conservation biology is to ensure the long-term preservation of biodiversity. To achieve its aim, Conservation biology has set three goals: • To document Earth’s biological diversity. • To investigate how humans influence species, evolution , and ecosystem processes. • To investigate practical approaches to protect and restore biological communities, maintain genetic diversity, and prevent the extinction of species. The first two goals describe typical scientific research investigating objective facts. The third goal, however, is a part of what makes Conservation biology a normative discipline ; that is, Conservation biology incorporates human values, not just facts, For Conservation biologists and other nature lovers, the widespread extinction of species and destruction of natural ecosystems are incredibly discouraging. 4 Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa to understand and achieve its value-laden goals (Lindenmayer and Hunter, 2010). In this sense, Conservation biology is related to environmentalism , in which people aim to protect the natural environment for its own sake (see Section 4.3.2). However, Conservation biology is at its core a scientific discipline ; it is founded on scientific principles.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- University Publications(Publisher)
Conservation biology is concerned with phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biodiversity and the science of sustaining evolutionary processes that engender genetic, population, species, and ecosystem diversity. The concern stems from estimates suggesting that up to 50% of all species on the planet will disappear within the next 50 years, which has contributed to poverty, starvation, and will reset the course of evolution on this planet. Conservation biologists research and educate on the trends and process of biodiversity loss, species extinctions, and the negative affect this is having on our capabilities to sustain the well-being of human society. Conservation biologists work in the field and office, in government, universities, non-profit organizations and industry. They are funded to research, monitor, and catalog every angle of the earth and its relation to society. The topics are diverse, because this is an interdisciplinary network with profess-sional alliances in the biological as well as social sciences. Those dedicated to the cause and profession advocate for a global response to the current biodiversity crisis based on morals, ethics, and scientific reason. Organizations and citizens are responding to the biodiversity crisis through Conservation action plans that direct research, monitoring, and education programs that engage concerns at local through global scales. Context and trends Conservation biologists study trends and process from the paleontological past to the ecological present as they gain an understanding of the context related to species extin-ction. It is generally accepted that there have been five major global mass extinctions that register in Earth's history. These include: the Ordovician (440 mya), Devonian (370 mya), Permian–Triassic (245 mya), Triassic–Jurassic (200 mya), and Cretaceous (65 mya) extinction spasms.
eBook - PDF- Andrew S. Pullin(Author)
- 2002(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
The role of Conservation biology is to provide the scientific basis for action and a vital role of the Conservation biologist is to effectively communicate the science to enable appropriate action to be taken. As a scientific discipline, Conservation biology should stand apart, and independent from the politics, ethics and economics. As individual Conservation biologists, we may not want, and do not need to stand aside from these issues, but the distinction between the disci-pline and the opinions of the individual practising it is important. However, the direction of research within Conservation biology should and must be influenced by social needs, and frameworks to facilitate this must be sought (see Chapter 15). A key concept likely to drive the direc-tion of research in the new century is that of sustainability (Lubchenco 1998). There is an urgent need, as we have seen from Chapter 6, to change our use of the earth’s living resources from a non-sustainable, exploita-tive pattern, to a sustainable platform, which ensures that future gener-ations will not be left to solve the problems caused by our own. Summary 1. Early philosophies and religions all contain some ideas on conser-vation but largely place the human race above the rest of the living world with an ability to control and a right to exploit it. 2. Early Conservation efforts were largely taken to secure natural resources not biodiversity. 3. Conservation ethics developed following the realisation that species and habitats as well as fertile land were being lost through short-term exploitation. 4. The science of Conservation biology grew as an applied arm of ecology during the twentieth century, but has only been recognised in its own right during the last 30 years. 5. The Convention on Biodiversity, agreed in 1992, has provided 148 THE RISE OF Conservation BIOLOGY focus for Conservation producing an ever greater demand on the pro-duction of good science to underpin Conservation action.
eBook - PDFProtecting Life on Earth
An Introduction to the Science of Conservation
- Michael Paul Marchetti, Peter B. Moyle(Authors)
- 2010(Publication Date)
- University of California Press(Publisher)
135 The appeal of Conservation science is that it is a truly integrative discipline focused on under-standing how humans are changing the world and on finding practical solutions to protecting biodiversity. What we call Conservation science is usually called Conservation biology, but we are using a broader name to reflect the many dis-ciplines that contribute to it. Its inspirational roots are in the environmental movement; its theory derives from the sciences, especially ecology and evolutionary biology; its con-cerns for the needs of people come from the social sciences and humanities; and its prac-tical orientation has roots in wildlife manage-ment, forestry, and similar applied disciplines. Increasingly, the physical sciences (i.e., phys-ics, chemistry, etc.) are also contributing to the field by developing better ways of under-standing many of the physical processes that contribute to global climate change (e.g., cur-rents in the air and oceans). The discipline of Conservation science increasingly draws sup-port from the public concern over the effects of environmental change on human health and well being. Thus, practitioners recognize that the philosophical and spiritual roots of 9 Conservation Science Conservation science lie in the world’s reli-gious and literary traditions, and increasingly practitioners work in non-biological fields such as politics, law, and economics. Arguably, the goal of Conservation science is to make the planet sustainable, creating a situation where humans and the Earth’s rich diversity of life share the future. Although Conservation science is ultimately a global science, from a practical perspective, Conservation takes place at three basic levels: the population or species level, the habitat or community level, and the level of entire land-scapes and ecosystems. In the following sec-tions, we will address the tools and approaches used by Conservation scientists at each of these levels.
eBook - PDF- E. J. Milner-Gulland, Ruth Mace(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Ecological systems are dynamic and it is difficult to predict their future course even without exploitation by humans. Nothing remains unchanged indefinitely, whether it is used or not. Thus, the acceptable timescale over which something is considered sustainable depends in part on the objectives of whoever is defining the term. After an international summit meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity was launched in 1993, which all governments were invited to ratify. This convention is founded on three objectives: Conservation, sustainable use and the equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity. It is argued that they are mutually reinforcing objectives, and cannot be considered in isolation. It is one of our aims in this book to explore how mutually reinforcing these objectives currently are, and where they are in conflict. The book covers the ecological, economic and social dimensions of the Conservation and use of wild living resources. It is divided into two main sections. The first section covers the theoretical issues involved in the use of renewable resources. This involves drawing theory from the fields of population biology, ecology and economics, combined with insights from politics and anthropology. The underlying models are presented so that the dynamics of the behaviour of both harvested populations and their harvesters can be better understood. We present the simplest, heuristic models from both population biology and bio-economics, and then consider more complex biological and economic models which take into account the numerous interactions that occur and influence the likelihood of sustainable use. The use of these models to devise Conservation measures in real ecosystems generally requires a series of modifications that are specific to the system concerned; we describe a range of considerations that may be crucial to understanding how a particUlar system is likely to behave.
eBook - PDFEnvironment
An Interdisciplinary Anthology
- Eugene Jolas, Andreas Kramer, Rainer Rumold(Authors)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- Yale University Press(Publisher)
Species are becoming endangered and suffering extinc-tion, ecosystems are being degraded, and genetic diversity is diminishing at a historically accelerated rate, mostly as a result of direct or indirect human activ-ity. The discipline that concerns itself with this loss is Conservation biology. The term “biodiversity” usually suggests counting species, frequently mea-sured either as the number of different species present in a particular ecosystem, as in the claim that “the tropical rainforest has more biodiversity than any other kind of ecosystem on Earth,” or as the number of species in a larger, more in-clusive taxonomic group, as in the statement that “there is greater biodiversity of insects than mammals.” However, biodiversity is not that simple. Ecosystems can be degraded and ecosystem types can be lost without the extinction or endangerment of any par-ticular species. The loss of diversity of ecosystems themselves must also be con-sidered a loss of biodiversity. Moreover, genetic variability within one species (or population) may be diminished without the immediate loss or endangerment of that species. This too is loss of biodiversity. Thus, biodiversity can be threatened at many different levels. In fact, its most common definition, best phrased by the United States Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), is: Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organ-isms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be de-fined as the number of different items and their relative frequency. For bio-logical diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and their relative abundance. 362 Yes, all that and yet more. Biodiversity, in theory and in practice, is even broader than this OTA definition.
eBook - PDF- Melina Laverty, Eleanor Sterling, Amelia Chiles, Georgina Cullman(Authors)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- Greenwood(Publisher)
5 Conserving Biodiversity: Strategies and Solutions New and innovative ways of conserving biodiversity are emerging, and people are increasingly considering how they might live in harmony with nature. This chapter looks at how biodiversity is currently protected and suggests innovative strategies to conserve biodiversity. We include a list of the small changes that people can make to their daily life to make it more sustainable and reduce their impact on biodiversity. We also examine some of the new alternatives being implemented to create sustainable communities and businesses. INTRODUCTION Human activities are the principal driver behind many threats to biodiversity. As implicated as we are in biodiversity’s demise, people can also conserve ecosystems and the living things that inhabit them. The survival of all life on earth—including the survival of humans—depends on a healthy environment. Whether as individuals, or collectively, we all make decisions that af- fect biodiversity. Should a person eat swordfish? Should a village sell the timber from their forest or should they conserve it for its nontim- ber products and other benefits (e.g., fruit and nuts, animal products, medicinal plants, and shade)? Should a city allow development or pro- tect open space? Should a company or university renovate its buildings or buy products that are sustainably harvested? Should environmental and biodiversity issues influence our decisions in the voting booth? Just as the threats to biodiversity occur at multiple levels, so do the so- lutions to conserve it. International organizations, nations, nongovern- mental organizations, academic institutions, local grassroots groups and, most importantly, individuals, can all adopt more sustainable lifestyles and make changes that will conserve biodiversity in the long run. As 140 Biodiversity 101 individuals, our power lies in our everyday actions through which we either contribute to the problem or help solve it.
eBook - PDF- Clive Hambler, Susan M. Canney(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
We hold the common wealth in trust for posterity, and to lessen or destroy it is to commit treason against the future’. The Environmental Strategy of the British government (dated 1990) was based on the steward- ship ethic: ‘We have a moral duty to look after our planet and hand it on in good order to future generations’. In the Convention on Biological Diversity governments have declared themselves determined to conserve and sustainably use biological diversity ‘for the benefit of present and future generations’. The loss of species, habitats and ecosystems is thus seen by some as a failure of responsibility to protect the options of future generations. The counter-argument to this 12 Introduction to Conservation is that, since we do not know what future generations will need, we might be more ethically correct to concentrate on people of the current generation who have clear and pressing needs. The uncertainty of the long-term benefits of Conservation, when compared with the certain short-term benefits of, say, eating a fish or felling a tree or polluting, weaken the ethical arguments based on sustained utility, and this is part of the philosophical and economic debate about ‘discounting’ the future value (Section 9.3.1). A further complication of the ethical argument is that many species (such as diseases, tigers and hippos) are harmful to people. Should the mosquitoes that carry malaria be conserved? They might be important in ecosystem processes, and they might inspire medical needles, anticoagulants and painkillers. Should the last known smallpox viruses be destroyed in their laboratories – they might have value in future medical advances. Whilst these few species are not likely to be lamented by many, Section 2.6.2 shows the ethics of Conservation are deeply entwined with the ethics of health and development. Ethical questions also arise in issues such as a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy against poachers.
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
