Conserving Ecosystems

The most effective way to protect biodiversity is usually to conserve whole ecosystems and habitats. This is called in situ conservation, meaning conservation 'in the original place'. It protects not just one threatened species but all the species that live together and the interactions between them.Methods of conserving ecosystems1. Protected areas, such as national parks, nature reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and marine protected areas, where development and harmful activities are restricted by law.2. Habitat management, to maintain the conditions species need, for example coppicing woodland, grazing or mowing meadows, and controlling succession so that open habitats do not turn into scrub.3. Habitat restoration, such as replanting native forest, re-flooding drained wetlands and replanting hedgerows. Wildlife corridors join fragments of habitat so populations can move and interbreed.4. Controlling threats: removing invasive species, reducing pollution, and preventing illegal hunting and logging.5. Legislation and agreements, such as limits on fishing and international agreements controlling trade in endangered species.Advantages: organisms stay in the habitat they are adapted to, populations remain large enough to keep genetic diversity, natural selection continues, and many species are protected at once.Disadvantages: it may not work if the threat, such as disease, climate change or poaching, cannot be controlled; protected areas need funding and enforcement; and local people may lose land or income, so conservation works best when communities are involved and benefit, for example through ecotourism.