...Why Should We Conserve Species A question that comes up frequently when talking about conservation is why. Why care about something small and insignificant to humans why waste time and resources? Shouldn’t we focus on species that are more beneficial to humans? Why not use our natural resources so that humans receive the greatest benefit, are we not just as much a part of nature as the raven in your yard. The answers to these questions are complex and each with consequences. So why strive to save a species of mussel that is small and seems to be insignificant to humans or the stream where it’s found. Species are interdependent. Not only have species in communities evolved unique ways of avoiding predators, locating food, and capturing and handling prey, but mutualistic relationships are frequent. This is not to say that every species is essential for community function, but that there is always uncertainty about the interactions of species and about the biological consequences of an extinction. (Soule, M. 1985) So who are we to lump species in to some hierarchy of worth? It’s evident that biodiversity is a must if we want to keep a healthy environment for future generations. One of the reasons I feel we should conserve nature and all the species we possibly can has to do with aesthetic value. You might say that something small like a snail has no aesthetic value, you would have a slight point. However, who’s to say that if the snail goes extinct that a cascade of anomalies...
Words: 434 - Pages: 2
...Conservation by relocation looks to move people, and there destructive activities from areas of rich biodiversity. I will begin by looking at the case of conservation in the Serengeti. During the 1970’s the Western view on conservation was to establish state protected areas and enforce laws prohibiting the access this land for natives. The aim was to create a barrier between ecosystems and what conservationists view as unsustainable uses of land practised by indigenous people and therefore allowing the area to flourish naturally. However, this view undervalued the role people have on the ecosystem. Early conservationists looked at conservation projects with a “western notion of wilderness” (J. Adams, 1997: XVII) where they neglected to appreciate that in areas like the Serengeti the wilderness did not have clearly defined borders in the sense that the native Maasai would utilise the wide expanses of the land as they have done over the course of their history. Grzimerick rejected this notion and viewed man as disrupting the natural conservation area, and by 1979 the Tanzanian government banned agriculture throughout the Ngorongoro section of the Serengeti national park. This action led to conflict between the native Maasai and the conservationists. The Maasai were forced off their native land onto marginal land outside the national park, leading to the Maasai over-grazing on the limited land and forced them to farm/graze illegally in areas of the state park. This resulted...
Words: 290 - Pages: 2
...Discuss one management practice for sustainability and conservation of natural resources in that ecosystem The protection of marine species and ecosystems in oceans and seas worldwide is marine conservation. Marine conservation involves the protection and restoration of species, populations and habitats while mitigating human activities such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, whaling and other issues that affect marine life and habitats. The goal of marine conservation is accomplished by enforcing and creating laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is also done by establishing marine protected areas, studying populations through conducting stock assessments and mitigating human activities with the goal of restoring populations. A recent practice that has become popular in marine conservation is the use of Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs). Through recent years of research, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have realized that the creation of formal protected areas may not be adequate enough to protect ocean and coastal biodiversity, particularly in areas where rights have already been contracted to specific owners and users. In order to address this, NGOs have increased their usage of MCAs to complement other marine and coastal protection efforts. Marine Conservation Agreements consist of any formal or informal understanding in which one or more parties commit to delivering explicit economic incentives in exchange...
Words: 443 - Pages: 2
...Conservation versus Preservation Jessica SCI-275 September 15, 2013 Joanna Gress Conservation Verses Preservation Dear Editor, Conservationists have cautioned us that continuing to be wasteful and pollute the environment won’t only cause our generation to suffer, but future generations will suffer as well. The Bridger-Teton National Forest in Western Wyoming and its ecosystem is the largest ecosystem that still remains intact within the lower 48 United States (United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 2013). By conserving and managing places such as this, and the natural resources we will continue to benefit from them for generations to come. “Americans are used to living their lives fueled by cheap energy.” (Berg et al., 2011). The message that should to be spread to others is that it is to enhance the future, but there are boundaries that need to be set. There are also many risks involved in using our natural resources for personal development. By depleting the environment we live in we are creating many risks not only to our environment but also our health. If using a place like Bridger-Teton National Forest to look for oil or use trees to fuel our growth as a nation is the best, then making sure we use the four steps to assess the risks is pertinent. “Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and reducing risks.” (Berg et al., 2011). Hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization will...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...WATER CONSERVATION Water is very important content. Without water there is no life in earth. We use water in so many ways in our daily life. Water is a substance which covers ¾ part of the world. It means water is occupying more portion compared to land. But this water is becoming more polluted because of the environmental changes. So it is necessary to conserve the water. It is every one duty to protect the water because everyone uses this water and we the people are making water polluted. Now we may get the doubt how to conserve the water. A few simple changes in home about the water consumption make a vast contribution to water conservation. The basic changes we have to do is stop leaking of water. We have to see whether there is a leakage in our taps. Because of the water leakage taps we can’t protect the water. We can also protect the water by Installing Low-Flow Showerheads. With these we can protect the water because it flows lower. And we won’t use much water with these Low-Flow Showerheads. When we are brushing our teeth or when we are shaving we have to turn off faucets. After completing the work we have to use the water. By this change also we can preserve the water. Using sprinklers for yard is also a good remedy for water conservation. Turn off the water in the shower when shampooing the hair Water will be saved. It is better to replace the new toilets in place of old toilets. These are high efficiency and will use less water. To collect a rain water use a rain...
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
...Week 2 Graded Writing 1 Preservation and Conservation Ethics Elizabeth Vaught EG481: Environmental Issues ITT-TECH Roger Boeken Week 2 John Muir was the one who started the “preservation ethic” (Withgott & Laposata), Muir felt that the main object of nature was to be there to comfort us. Muir also thought that we should have a place to play and pray and that the ability of nature to be able to comfort us was enough, so when he started seeing the trees in the surrounding forests being cut down he was certain that this model of preservation would be the best alternative. Another thing he felt was important was that nature should be protected for its inherent value as well as promoting happiness for humans. One flaw in this thinking is if we are to leave things as there were we would eventually see the animal population over run, this would cause disease and the trees and grass lands would be come over grown to the point of choking out each other. Gifford Pinchot advocated that the “conservation ethic” (Withgott & Laposata) was what we should follow. This ethic allowed for us to use the natural resources that were available within reason. In other words, we were to use them responsibly, only using what we needed and not using to excess or wastefully so that the generations to come would have ample resources. The differences between the two is this, Muir felt that everything should be left in its natural state, for our enjoyment and spiritual peace...
Words: 522 - Pages: 3
...Conservation and efficient use of energy in industry has for a long time been a priority of the government on India. In anticipation of enactment of federal legislation on energy management for industry, the state of Government of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other Southern States, made energy audits mandatory for large-scale energy consuming industries. So among industrial consumers, the aspect of energy conservation is gaining due importance of the realization that “Energy Saved is Energy Produced and that too at Economical Cost”. This paper shares the experience of the authors on energy conservation projects carried out in a textile industry situated in Tamil nadu state. Economic and efficient measures of energy conservation have been followed subject to budget constraint and the effects of such measures were realized through reduction in energy cost with the added advantage of environmental safety. 1. Introduction Today, energy and environment are two areas that have sought the greatest attention at the international level. With the issue of the global environment, becoming as important as never before, energy particularly its conservation in industries, has become the main target for all parts of the world that has to be achieved as soon as possible. Textile industries are found to be energy-intensive [4% energy cost in total input cost[ compared to other industries like chemical, food, computer manufacturing, etc.. and hence extensive research has been focused on such industries...
Words: 2416 - Pages: 10
...Conservation Biology is defined as the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth’s biodiversity. The main aim is protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystem from overly fast growing extinction rates. Biodiversity is defined as the variety of organisms that occupy a specific region. This includes all organisms from that region, the smallest creature to the largest mammals. The earth is a vast planet, which is growing and changing every day. Many things are out of our control, but there are also many things that are within our control. People play a direct impact on the environment as well as the wild life. Unfortunately a lot of our negative actions have led to the extinction of various species. Animals can be broken down into three different species, threatened, endangered and extinct. Threatened Species can be defined as a species commonly found in an area, that is at high risk of becoming endangered. "A threatened species may have a declining population or be exceptionally rare. Similar to endangered species, the cause of their decline is based and various factors such as habitat destruction, climate change or the introduction of an invasive species to their natural habitat" (Buchanan,M.). A good example of a Threatened Species is the Loggerhead Turtle. They are found globally, preferring temperate and subtropical waters. Loggerhead turtles and their eggs are hunted extensively in many parts of the world. "However, the main threat is from raccoons and...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...Title: Conservation and Preservation By Course: SCI 275 Date: Facilitator: Conservation and Preservation Preserving the lands as they were intended to be so it can sustain its own natural habitat and atmosphere without any interruption from humanity is essential to its own environment. However, exploring undeveloped areas may produce the resources that are needed for humankind to survive with the demands of society as it continues to grow in population. I believe humans can harvest from forest resources, but in the end, just as it is now, the same issues of air pollution, toxic waste, and landfills releasing toxicants into the air, and the migration of certain wild animals will be destroyed. The intentions of the image will be proclaimed as friendly, but the outcome will lead to some of the same issues as we face now. Due to the demands of humankind to survive, as life as we know it now, the leaders sees this as no choice but to make a decision to tap into undiscovered locations as resources. I am inclined to become self sufficient in our own nation by tapping into our own resources that is sustainable for economic use, but to do it in a way where the provisions of our effort does not cause more harm...
Words: 297 - Pages: 2
...Conservation of resources Management of the human use of natural resources to provide the maximum benefit to current generations while maintaining capacity to meet the needs of future generations. Conservation includes both the protection and rational use of natural resources. Earth's natural resources are either nonrenewable, such as minerals, oil, gas, and coal, or renewable, such as water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops. The combination of growing populations and increasing levels of resource consumption is degrading and depleting the natural resource base. The world's population stood at 850 million at the onset of the industrial age. The global population has grown to nearly seven times as large (6 billion), and the level of consumption of resources is far greater. This human pressure now exceeds the carrying capacity of many natural resources. Nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels, are replaced over geologic time scales of tens of millions of years. Human societies will eventually use up all of the economically available stock of many nonrenewable resources, such as oil. Conservation entails actions to use these resources most efficiently and thereby extend their life as long as possible. By recycling aluminum, for example, the same piece of material is reused in a series of products, reducing the amount of aluminum ore that must be mined. Similarly, energy-efficient products help to conserve fossil fuels since the same energy services, such as lighting...
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...Marine conservation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coral reefs have a great amount of biodiversity. Marine conservation, also known as marine resources conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Marine conservation focuses on limiting human-caused damage to marine ecosystems, and on restoring damaged marine ecosystems. Marine conservation also focuses on preserving vulnerable marine species. Contents 1 Overview 2 Coral reefs 3 Human impact 4 Techniques 5 Technology and halfway technology 6 Laws and treaties 7 Organizations and education 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography 9 External links Overview Marine conservation is the study of conserving physical and biological marine resources and ecosystem functions. This is a relatively new discipline. Marine conservationists rely on a combination of scientific principles derived from marine biology, oceanography, and fisheries science, as well as on human factors such as demand for marine resources and marine law, economics and policy in order to determine how to best protect and conserve marine species and ecosystems. Marine conservation can be seen as subdiscipline of conservation biology. Coral reefs Coral reefs are the epicenter for immense amounts of biodiversity, and are a key player in the survival of an entire ecosystem. They provide various marine animals with food, protection, and shelter which...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
...Conservation versus Preservation Holly Regan SCI/275 August 3, 2014 Stacy Murphy Conservation versus Preservation Conservation is a necessary means toward sustainability for all human systems involving renewable and nonrenewable resources. Providing constant protection and restoration will in turn provide future generations the same resources as the present generation afforded, but only if managed properly. Chiras (2013) says that by “setting aside high-biodiversity areas for permanent protection will help to protect species from extinction and will help preserve biodiversity,” (p. 216). Biodiversity A-Z (2003) says, “Wilderness areas are classified as areas 10,000 km2 that are based on the world’s terrestrial ecoregions, with a human population density outside urban areas of five people per km2 that retain at least 70% of their historical habitat extent (500 years ago).” Preservation reserves large masses of what is to remain untouched infinitely. Chiras (2013) stated "The United States has a long history of wilderness preservation that continues today through the Wilderness Act. This law directs federal agencies to establish wilderness areas and stipulates the type of human activities that are permitted on these lands,” (p. 242). The examples of conservation and preservation within the text have successfully met the majority their respective objectives, but there is so much more that can be done with the help from the entire adult population instead of merely...
Words: 480 - Pages: 2
...Law of Conservation of Energy: Statement: The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy in a system remains constant ("is conserved"), although energy within the system can be changed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another. Gravitational Potential Energy: Definition: Gravitational potential energy is energy an object possesses because of its position in a gravitational field. Kinetic Energy: Definition: Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. An object that has motion - whether it is vertical or horizontal motion - has kinetic energy. There are many forms of kinetic energy - vibrational (the energy due to vibrational motion), rotational (the energy due to rotational motion), and translational (the energy due to motion from one location to another). Elastic Potential Energy: Definition: Elastic potential energy is Potential energy stored as a result of deformation of an elastic object, such as the stretching of a spring. It is equal to the work done to stretch the spring, which depends upon the spring constant k as well as the distance stretched. After defying of relevant theoretical terms here I am mentioning little comments on the given query. A real life example for conservation of energy is a ball falling from a building. The total mechanical energy is sum of equal to kinetic energy with addition of gravitational potential energy at different periods of time and height. The K.E. and G.P.E. is changing but...
Words: 251 - Pages: 2
...water in Georgia, or in a bigger aspect The United States of America! We would struggle with finding the location of fresh water, we would struggle with how to get to the water once we find it, and struggle with the decision of what is more important to use the water on. All this would be avoided if we were just to conserve water now. Water will soon dry up in certain spots and be unavailable to some people. Water conservation would be a good choice right now for later usage of this natural resource. We have to learn from what has already happened. In Africa they have very little to no water. There has been an ongoing epidemic in Africa, the problem is getting better but it is still there. We have to learn from previous misfortunes and save the water we have while we can. We can take shorter showers. Or use rain water to water your plants, it’s the little things that can make a huge difference. We don’t have to go all out and collect water from your showers to reuse; just the simple basic things can add up pretty quickly if everyone contributes. Conservation is very important to the inhabitants of the world right now and...
Words: 424 - Pages: 2
...Running Head: CONSERVATION VS PRESERVATION Conservation vs. Preservation Jose E. Ortiz December 16, 2012 SCI/275 Joanna Gress In the era of climate change and global warming, there is an increased interest in land management techniques. Some experts are proponents of the preservation theory, which sets aside areas of natural resources in their pristine state, without intrusion or interference of man. Other experts favor conservation practices, which seek to find a happy medium between responsible land management and protection of natural resources while permitting humans to enjoy that land in a variety of ways. The desire to preserve areas in their natural state can be driven by a desire to maintain refuges for animals and plants free of human interference and to keep species from the threat of extinction. With the advent of the last twenty years of the housing boom, many natural areas have disappeared. The point of preservationists is that there need to be certain aspects of the natural population that are never disturbed. The disagreement among naturalists arises from the methods of protection versus the actual concept of protection. Some believe conservation of resources provides the best of all worlds. Individuals can, for example, live in a subdivision, but the subdivision would be placed adjacent to natural forests, wetlands, or other natural areas of importance to the environment. Within these wetlands and forests...
Words: 878 - Pages: 4