Conservation
● Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife
and natural resources such as forests and water. Through the conservation of
biodiversity and the survival of many species and habitats which are threatened due to
human activities can be ensured. There is an urgent need, not only to manage and
conserve the biotic wealth, but also restore the degraded ecosystems.
Types of Conservation:
Conservation can broadly be divided into two types:
1. In-situ conservation
2. Ex-situ conservation
In-situ Conservation:
In-situ conservation is on site conservation or the conservation of genetic resources in
natural populations of plant or animal species, such as forest genetic resources in
natural populations of tree species.
1. National Parks:
A national park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife and
where activities like forestry, grazing on cultivation are not permitted. In these parks,
even private ownership rights are not allowed.
Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. They are usually small reserves
spreading in an area of 100 Sq. km. to 500 sq. km.
2. Wildlife Sanctuaries:
A sanctuary is a protected area which is reserved for the conservation of only animals
and human activities like harvesting of timber, collecting minor forest products and
private ownership rights are allowed as long as they do not interfere with well-being of
animals. Boundaries of sanctuaries are not well defined
3. Biosphere Reserves:
It is a special category of protected areas where human population also forms a part of
the system. They are large protected area of usually more than 5000 sq. km. A biosphere
reserves has 3 parts- core, buffer and transition zone.
Ex-Situ Conservation:
Ex-situ conservation is the preservation of components of biological diversity outside
their natural habitats. This involves conservation of genetic resources, as well as wild
and cultivated or species, and draws on a diverse body of techniques and facilities. Such
strategies include establishment of botanical gardens, zoos, conservation strands and
gene, pollen seed, seedling, tissue culture and DNA banks.
i. Seed gene bank:
These are cold storages where seeds are kept under controlled temperature and
humidity for storage and this is easiest way to store the germ plasma of plants at low
temperature. Seeds preserved under controlled conditions (minus temperature) remain
viable for long durations of time.
ii. Gene bank:
Genetic variability also is preserved by gene bank under normal growing conditions.
These are cold storages where germ plam are kept under controlled temperature and
humidity for storage; this is an important way of preserving the genetic resources.
iii. Cryopreservation:
This is the newest application of technology for preservation of biotic parts. This type of
conservation is done at very low temperature (-196°C) in liquid nitrogen. The metabolic
activities of the organisms are suspended under low temperature, which are later used
for research purposes.
iv. Tissue culture bank:
Cryopreservation of disease free meristems is very helpful. Long term culture of excised
roots and shoots are maintained. Meristem culture is very popular in plant propagation
as it’s a virus and disease free method of multiplication.
v. Long term captive breeding:
The method involves capture, maintenance and captive breeding on long term basis of
individuals of the endangered species which have lost their habitat permanently or
certain highly unfavorable conditions are present in their habitat.
vi. Botanical gardens:
A botanical garden is a place where flowers, fruits and vegetables are grown. The
botanical gardens provide beauty and calm environment. Most of them have started
keeping exotic plants for educational and research purposes.
vii. Animal Translocation:
Release of animals in a new locality which come from anywhere else.
Translocation is carried in following cases:
1. When a species on which an animal is dependent becomes rare.
2. When a species is endemic or restricted to a particular area.
3. Due to habit destruction and unfavorable environment conditions.
4. Increase in population in an area.
