conservation

Question 1

define conservation

Answer 1

protection, preservation, management and restoration of natural habitats and communities; enhancing biodiversity whilst still allowing human activity

Question 2

what are the six main conservation techniques?

Answer 2

international cooperation
gene bank
legislation
ecotourism
protecting habitats
education

Question 3

international cooperation - conservation technique

Answer 3

restricting trade in ivory and whaling

Question 4

gene banks - conservation technique

Answer 4

breeding programmes in zoos & botanic gardens
seed banks
sperm banks
re-introduction of species e.g. red kites

Question 5

legislation - conservation technique

Answer 5

national and international laws protecting habitats and wildlife e.g. EU

habitats directive preventing overfishing by imposing fishing quotas, preventing overgrazing

Question 6

ecotourism - conservation technique

Answer 6

aims to minimise the negative impacts of tourism

contributing to conservation
cooperating with local people to manage areas
educating visitors
employing local people

Question 7

protecting habitats - conservation technique

Answer 7

protecting a particular area, e.g. from urban development

includes national parks, sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) e.g. dunham park

Question 8

education - conservation technique

Answer 8

public awareness campaigns on global or national scales e.g WWF, countryside commission

Question 9

why is the conservation of existing gene pools important?

Answer 9

ethical reasons
agriculture and horticulture
environmental changes
potential medical uses

Question 10

ethical reasons - importance of the conservation of existing gene pools

Answer 10

each species is a unique combination of genes and alleles and so is therefore valuable

Question 11

agriculture and horticulture - importance of the conservation of existing gene pools

Answer 11

breeds of animals and plants used in agriculture and horticulture have been selectively bred

may lack rare alleles –> could be important in the future (e.g. disease resistance)

wild plants and animals can act as a gene bank for these alleles which animals and crop plants can be bred with

Question 12

environmental changes - importance of the conservation of existing gene pools

Answer 12

large, varied gene pool increases the chance of a species surviving environmental change

Question 13

potential medical uses - importance of the conservation of existing gene pools

Answer 13

plants and animals may have the potential to help in the development of new drugs or other medical treatments

by preserving habitats we allow this potential to be researched in the future