What is Conservation?

Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values underlie conservation, which can be guided by biocentrism, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and sentientism. There has recently been a movement towards evidence-based conservation which calls for greater use of scientific evidence to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts.

Why should we Conserve?

The most obvious reason for conservation is protect wildlife and promote biodiversity. Protecting wildlife and preserving it for future generations also means that the animals we love don't become a distant memory. Preservation of these habitats helps to prevent the entire ecosystem being harmed. There are three main reasons why we conserve.

• To repair some of the damage done by humans and maintain the environment for future generations
• To maintain species diversity for our benefit and that of wildlife
• To provide opportunities for education and the enjoyment of the environment

Benefits

These are the benefits for conservation of wildlife:

• Promotes pollination and continuity of native plant species
• Medicinal value
• Aesthetic benefits
• Preserves heritage and culture
• Promotes tourism attraction
• Protection of biodiversity and endangered species
• Protecting ecological stability and balance
• Can enhance food security

Methods for Conservation