Conservation is the effort to protect natural resources and their habitats – whether plants, animals, water or even land. This is an ongoing concern for researchers, governments and special interest charities. It involves a range of activities from research into species and ecosystems to promoting sustainable tourism, funding environmental projects or setting up conservation lands.
It’s easy to think that only big companies or organisations are involved in conservation but anyone can contribute to the cause, even by recycling paper and plastics to reduce waste or by limiting how much energy you use. You can also support wildlife photographers and filmmakers by buying their work or visiting them in the field, you could donate to a conservation charity, take your children out for nature walks rather than popping into the shops or, if you want to help in a very hands-on way, join a local conservation group working on specific projects.
Increasingly, the focus of conservation is on protecting entire ecosystems or landscapes instead of individual species. This approach makes it more likely that the natural processes that sustain biodiversity will be protected, too – such as nutrient cycling. This type of conservation is more likely to be carried out by government agencies or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) rather than private businesses.
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