Imagine you were given just one Storex tank full of water for all your daily activities for a whole month. You are not entitled to any more than that. What would you do? Would you allow any of it to go to waste? Certainly not. You'll treat every drop like your most precious resource, so that you can have water to use throughout the month.
That is exactly what Nature Conservation is all about. It is the planned management of our natural resources to avoid exploitation, destruction, waste, or neglect. It involves using resources efficiently and ensuring their availability for both present and future generations.
Mother nature has given us precious resources which must be protected not just for our survival and daily existence but also for future generations. They are essential resources such as freshwater, air, sunlight, energy sources, forests, coal, oil, and minerals to provide support and meet our basic needs. In return, these resources must be carefully managed and protected to ensure the proper functioning of the ecosystem.
However, one major challenge in maintaining these resources has been human activity. This is illustrated in the chain of the economic functions of the environment. The environment supplies humanity with renewable resources (e.g. forests) and non-renewable resources (e.g. fossil fuels). And through the economic activities of production and consumption, these resources are transformed into environmental wastes which in turn impact the availability of those resources in the future.
In addition, these resources are subject to depletion from overexploitation or intentional destruction. A close example is the extinction of wildlife currently, and the surging challenge of deforestation. Nature conservation is a call to control the occurrence of these things.
Conservation versus Preservation
Conservation and Preservation are two distinct but interrelated approaches to protecting the environment from “crisis”.
While conservation is a means of protecting the environment through the responsible use and management of resources, the concept of preservation, on the other hand, entails guarding natural habitats and working to retain them as close as possible to their unaltered, original state.
Preservation shields the environment from harmful human activities. This means that there should be little human effects, and resources in protected regions are not meant for human use. The national park is one of the best examples of preservation.
Both conservative and preservation are essential strategies for protecting the earth's resources and also preventing natural disasters.
This month, we aim to provide you with comprehensive knowledge and practical tips on nature conservation, covering topics like biodiversity, habitat restoration, forms of conservation, and the role you can also play in preserving our precious natural world.
Join us again next week as we continue to explore all you need to know about the conservation of nature.
— Adeola Olalere
0 Comments