Conservation and Biodiversity

About this topic

Biodiversity is the variety of life, including genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. It provides food, medicines, clean air and water, pollination and resilience. Threats include habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change.

Conservation protects species and habitats. Methods include nature reserves and national parks, wildlife corridors, captive breeding and release, seed banks, laws against hunting and trade (such as CITES), sustainable farming and forestry, and education. In situ conservation protects species in the wild, while ex situ conservation uses zoos and seed banks.

The giant panda, once endangered, has improved through bamboo forest protection and breeding programmes. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores seeds of crop varieties as insurance against disaster. Low genetic diversity makes populations vulnerable, like cheetahs that all share very similar genes and so are prone to disease.

Conservation must balance human needs with nature, so local communities are often involved through ecotourism. A typical misconception is that conservation only saves charismatic animals; insects, fungi and plants are equally vital. Another is that protecting a species means nothing without protecting its habitat.