Question

How is the conservation of biodiversity done? How will you conserve an animal to save it from extinction?

Answer 1

Hint: Conservation of biodiversity results in preserving the flow of food chains as well as help in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem.

Complete answer: Biodiversity is the variety of life forms present in the world or a particular habitat. It includes all life sources at land, air, and water. A high level of biodiversity is considered to be extremely important and desirable. Biodiversity is declining at a very fast rate around the world.

Conservation of biodiversity means carefully planning and preserving is done scientifically. This is to maintain it at its threshold and also derive sustainable benefits for the present and future generations. Given below are the methods involved in the preservation of biodiversity:
1. Ex-situ conservation
a. Ex-situ conservation is conserving biodiversity outside the areas where they naturally occur.
b. In ex situ conservation methods, fauna and flora are reared or cultivated in areas like zoological or botanical parks.
c. Another form of ex situ conservation is reintroducing an animal or plant into the habitat from where it has become extinct. For example, the reintroduction of Gangetic gharial in the rivers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan where it had become extinct.
d. Some important centers for ex situ conservation are seed banks and botanical gardens.

2. In situ conservation
a. Conserving the fauna and flora in their natural habitats is known as in situ conservation. This is the most appropriate method for biodiversity conservation.
b. In this strategy, an area with high biodiversity is located and covered in the form of various reserved hotspots. Thus, biodiversity is conserved from human activities in their natural habitat.
c. This practice includes the establishment of National parks and sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, nature reserves, reserved and protected forests, and preservation plots.

Additional information: We can conserve an animal extinction by following the given steps:
1) The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they are.
2) The best way to protect endangered species is to protect the places where they live. Getting involved by volunteering at the local natural habitat or wildlife refuge is the next step.
3) Reduce the use of water at home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival.
4) Many herbicides and pesticides take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. To these chemical pollutants, some groups of animals have become vulnerable and suffer greatly as a result of the increased levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat.
5) Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threatened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinction. Don’t participate in such activities, and report it as soon as you see it.

Note: The following are some advantages of conserving biodiversity:
1. The genetic diversity of plants and animals remains preserved.
2. It ensures the sustainable utilization of life-supporting resources on earth.
3. It provides a vast knowledge of potential used up by the scientific community.
4. Biological diversity provides immediate benefits to society such as recreation and tourism.
5. Biodiversity conservation acts as an insurance policy for the future.