Conservation efforts

Understanding Conservation Efforts

• Conservation encapsulates the measures taken to protect and preserve nature and wildlife, to maintain biodiversity and ecological balance.
• Two major types of conservation are in-situ conservation and ex-situ conservation; in-situ conservation involves conservation activities in the natural habitats, while ex-situ conservation takes place outside of natural habitats.
• Protected areas like national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and bio-reserves play an important role in in-situ conservation.
• Zoos, botanical gardens, and gene banks are examples of ex-situ conservation facilities.

Importance of Biodiversity Conservation

• A high level of biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter, and maintenance of physical environment.
• Biodiversity is important for maintaining ecosystem services, including water purification, waste decomposition, and soil fertility.
• It also has economic significance as it is a source of food, medicinal resources and pharmaceuticals, and provides recreational and ecological value.

Approaches to Conservation

• Captive breeding involves breeding of endangered species in captivity with the aim of reintroducing them into their natural habitats.
• Habitat restoration attempts to restore an area of wildlife habitat, usually woodland, back to its natural state.
• Ecosystem-based adaptation is an approach to help communities adapt to the adverse effects of climate change by incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem services into comprehensive adaptation strategies.

Challenges to Conservation Efforts

• Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and pollution pose major challenges to both in-situ and ex-situ conservation.
• There are often conflicts between developmental activities and conservation efforts, especially in the case of big infrastructure projects.
• Invasive species, overfishing and over-hunting pose major threats to wildlife conservation efforts.

International and National Responses to Conservation

• The UN Convention on Biological Diversity provides a legal framework for conservation and advocates for the sustainable use of its components.
• The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are international organizations working for the cause of conservation.
• Various countries have different national policies and laws for the conservation of their unique biodiversity.