conservation

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In the life sciences, action taken to protect and preserve the natural world, usually from pollution, overexploitation, and other harmful features of human activity. The late 1980s saw a great increase in public concern for the environment, with membership of conservation groups, such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and the US Sierra Club, rising sharply and making the green movement an increasingly-powerful political force. Globally the most important issues include the depletion of atmospheric ozone by the action of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (thought to contribute to the greenhouse effect), and deforestation.

Conservation may be necessary to prevent an endangered species from dying out in an area or even becoming extinct. But conservation of particular habitats may be as important, if not more important. Habitat loss is believed to be the main cause of the great reduction of biodiversity and the rate of extinction occurring on Earth. There is concern about loss of species and biodiversity, because living organisms contribute to human health, wealth, and happiness in several ways. Humans often enjoy being in natural environments, especially those who spend much of their lives in towns and cities. Human cultures may be dependent on the natural environment to sustain them and maintain a stable society. This is particularly true of societies in the developing world. The spread of desert into arid areas around the Sahara has probably contributed to the unstable societies of some areas there. There is also an economic argument for conservation. It is believed that many undiscovered useful chemicals may exist within organisms on Earth that could be developed into important drugs – but when a plant or animal becomes extinct, the chemicals it contains are also lost.

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