7C - Conservation

Question 1

What is conservation?

Answer 1

The protection and management of species and habitats (ecosystems) in a sustainable way.

Question 2

What are the ways to manage succession to conserve the moorland ecosystem?

Answer 2

1) Animals are allowed to graze on the land. This is similar to mowing - the animals eat the growing points of the shrubs and trees, which stops them from establishing themselves and helps to keep vegetation low.
2) Managed fires are lit. After the fires, secondary succession will occur on the moorland - the species that grow back first (pioneer species) are the species that are being conserved, e.g. heather. Larger species will take longer to grow back and will be removed again the next time the moor is burnt.

Question 3

What does sustainable mean?

Answer 3

That enough resources are taken to meet the needs of people today, without reducing the ability of people in the future to meet their own needs.

Question 4

What is needed to find a balance between and maintain the sustainability of natural resources?

Answer 4

Careful management.

Question 5

What is there because not everyone agrees with every conservation measure?

Answer 5

Conflict between human needs and conservation.

Question 6

What do different methods of conservation focus on?

Answer 6

Conserving a particular species or protecting the habitat for all the species that live there.

Question 7

Give examples of conservation techniques

Answer 7

• Plants can be conserved using seedbanks, which are stores of lots of seeds from lots of different plant species. If the plants become extinct in the wild, the stored seeds can be used to grow new plants.
• Fishing quotas are limits to the amount of certain fish species that fisherman are allowed to catch. Fishing quotas help to conserve fish species by reducing the numbers that are caught and killed.
• Protected areas such as national parks and nature reserves protect habitats (and so protect the species in them) by restricting urban development, industrial development and farming.
• Endangered species can be bred in captivity (e.g. a zoo) to increase their numbers, then returned to the wild.

Question 8

How would you go about evaluating evidence and data about conservation issues?

Answer 8

1) Describe the data.
2) Draw conclusions.
3) Evaluate the method.

(You need to be able to consider conflicting evidence from other studies alongside the first conclusions.)