University of Bristol
Wellcome Trust
Recommended by:
Society of Biology
PEEP for Physics & Ethics at GCSE
 

Conservation Examples

Restoration Conservation

  • Human activities will alter and damage ecosystems. Often human benefits must be balanced against possible environmental damage.
  • In many cases, human skills can be sued to help restore habitats that have been damaged by human exploitation.
  • Successful restoration will depend upon knowledge of biological and chemical phenomena and the application of mechanical and technical skills.

Examples:

  • Gravel pits.
  • Spoil heaps.
  • Bioremediation – repair of ecosystems damaged by pollution e.g. oil spills.
     

Activities:    The British Aisles: A natural History

  • The recent BBC series – the British Isles: A Natural History, looked at the restoration of habitats. Read this first page and follow the links (at the bottom of each page).
  • Oxfordshire have a local biodiversity action plan to restore gravel pits –  view their practical guide
    List some of the problems that have to be overcome in order to make gravel pits better suited to wetland wildlife.
  • Sometimes the restoration of a habitat can cause serious problems for local communities. Restoration of wetlands could lead to a dramatic increase in mosquitoes, not only an uncomfortable insect to live near to, but also it might act as a vector of human disease.
    Read the following essay by Elizabeth Willott, who considers the side-effects of the restoration of wetlands.

 

 Creation Conservation

 

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