conservation of ecosystems

Question 1

What is conservation?

Answer 1

Protection and management of ecosystems, so natural resources can be used without them running out.

Question 2

What is reclamation

Answer 2

Restoring ecosystems that have been damaged or destroyed ( e.g. restoring forests that have been cut down)

Question 3

What is preservation?

Answer 3

Protection of ecosystems so they can be kept exactly as they are.

e.g. Antarctica- just a little scientific research there and limited tourism

NO MINING OR ANY industrial activities

Question 4

Why is conservation is important ( economic reasons)

Answer 4

• ecosystems provide resources that humans need.
  e. g. rainforests can provide drugs, food, clothes.
• economically important because they are traded on a global scale.

so less conversation would mean resources are lost, so less trade in the future.

Question 5

Why is conversation important( social reasons)

Answer 5

• ecosystems are attractive to look at
• potentially less tourism also.
• less conversation would mean future generations won’t be able to look and enjoy them

Question 6

Why is conversation important( ethical reasons):

Answer 6

• some people think its just simply the right thing to do
  they believe that organisms have a right to exist and shouldn’t become exist as a result of human activity.
• some people think we have a “moral responsibility “to conserve ecosystems so that future generations can use them.

Question 7

What’s a way temperate woodland can be managed in a sustainable way?

Answer 7

For every tree that’s cut down a new one can be planted.

Question 8

Things to keep in mind when planting and cutting down trees?

Answer 8

• trees are cut down in strips or patches
• cleared strips or patches can’t be too large or exposed- otherwise soil erosion could occur, so newly planted trees will not be able to grow.
• timber is harvested by “coppicing”- cutting down trees in a way that lets them grow back, so no need for new trees to be planted.
• trees aren’t grown to close to each other so they are not competing for space and resources.
• Native tree species tend to be planted in preference to non-native species- better for biodiversity as native species have long-established with other native species, helping the area thrive.

also some species may not be able to adapt to non native species trees

Question 9

What are “fishing quotas”

Answer 9

Limits to the amount of fish species fisherman are allowed to catch.

Question 10

problem with fishing quotas

Answer 10

• problem with fishing quotas is that sometimes the wrong species of fish are caught, and are thrown back into the sea, often dead or dying. New policy is that even if the wrong fish has been caught they have to be brought back ashore to be counted.

Question 11

another way of sustainable fishing is….

Answer 11

To control “mesh size” of the fish net, depending, on what’s being fished.

• this is to reduce the number of unwanted or discarded fish that are accidentally caught.
• using a bigger mesh size may allow unwanted fish to escape.