Biodiversity and Conservation

The Earth is home to millions of species, of which humans make up a very small fraction. Numerous animals, insects, plants,and trees coexist on land and water, and their protection and safety are vital to Earth’s ecosystem. All of Earth’s species are vital to maintain a balance between the food chain and the ecosystem.

What is Biodiversity?

The term biodiversity refers to  the variety of living beings on Earth that includes all species that breathe and have life. Humans comprise a small percentage, also including animals, insects, plants and trees, bacteria, and microorganisms.

What is Geography?

The word geography comes from the Greek words “geo” (meaning “earth” in its broadest sense) and “graphing” (to write). The study of places and relationships between people and their surroundings is known as topography. Geographers are interested in the physical qualities of Earth’s surface as well as the human social orders that exist.

Need to Protect Biodiversity

The significance of biodiversity is no secret. History has revealed that exceptional animals such as white rhinos have become endangered, and if we continue to act carelessly and exploit such species, they will go extinct. Biodiversity is crucial not only for the benefits it provides humans with, but also for the value it creates for all other life. It provides people with basic needs such as food, fuel, shelter, and medication. Furthermore, habitats provide critical services such as fertilisation, seed dissemination, environmental guidance, water sanitisation, supplement cycling, and pest control in rural areas.

Need for Conservation 

Humans are reliant on the Earth’s geography not only for food and water, but also for the land they live on. As a result, geography is critical for present as well as future generations. Environmental conservation is crucial because it deals with important issues such as protecting the ozone layer, maintaining the environment for future generations, preserving drinking water, and the legitimate use of non-inexhaustible assets.

Measures to Protect Wildlife and Conserve Geography

Some measures to safeguard biodiversity include:

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Reusing products decreases pollution by reducing energy, power, and water use, and the need for landfills. You can reduce your carbon footprint by reusing containers and jars, as well as garments and electronics.

Focus on reducing water consumption

New rivers are critical for biodiversity. Reduce your water consumption by taking a 5-minute shower or avoid running the water while washing dishes to help protect important wetlands. We must concentrate on saving water because drinking water is scarce. Doing so will help safeguard such resources for future generations.

Government policies

Governments should devise rules and policies to safeguard the environment. For example, the government could ban hunting and ensure that companies do not dump waste into water bodies.

Conservation

To a large extent, everyone is reliant on biodiversity for survival. However, increasing populations and development of infrastructure have resulted in the widespread depletion of natural resources.
Wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water are protected, preserved, managed, or restored through conservation. It is possible to safeguard the survival of many species and ecosystems that are threatened by human activity by conserving biodiversity. Biotic wealth must be managed and conserved, and degraded ecosystems must be restored.

Types of Conservation

In general, there are two types of conservation systems; In-situ conservation and Ex-situ conservation.

In-situ Conservation

In-situ  conservation refers to the protection of living organisms by maintaining their natural ecosystems, where they are born. For example; national parks, sanctuaries, natural reserves, reserves of the biosphere, sacred grooves, etc.  It is the process of defending endangered plant or animal species in their native habitats against predators, by protecting or cleaning up the ecosystem. Farmers, particularly those who practise unique farming methods, use agroforestry to protect the biodiversity. Declaring a location a protected area is an example of in-situ conservation.

Ex-Situ Conservation

Ex-situ conservation refers to the preservation of biological diversity outside their natural settings. This includes preserving genetic resources as well as wild and farmed species, using a variety of procedures and equipment. Botanical gardens, zoos, conservation strands, genes, pollen, seedlings, tissue cultures, and DNA banks are a few examples.

Conclusion

Biodiversity refers to the biological diversity and variability of life on Earth. The genetic, species-level, and ecosystem-level variation are all included in biodiversity. Terrestrial biodiversity is typically higher towards the equator due to the warm environments and high primary productivity. The variety of creatures found in a given ecosystem is referred to as biodiversity.
Biodiversity is vital because we rely on it for an ecosystem’s services, which are divided into four categories: providing, regulating, culture, and supporting. Plant, animal, microbial, and genetic resources are protected for food production, agriculture, and ecosystem activities such as soil fertilisation, nutrient recycling, pest and disease regulation, erosion management, and pollination of crops and trees.