MAIN Society Go Green Guides Conservation

While many conservation efforts have been successful as parks, land conservancies and protected coastal areas, there are still many conservation battles being fought throughout the world.

Everywhere there are people hard at work, trying to conserve and protect natural ecosystems from further damage and destruction.

As our understanding of the interconnectedness of nature intensifies, so too have the efforts to conserve; and not just isolated areas of natural beauty, but whole ecosystems.

Like birds flying south for winter, many large land animals will travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, depending on the season. However, in North America, their travel is often impeded by human infrastructure, such as roads, as the migration routes are increasingly encroached upon by development that threatens their extinction.

Conservation is also a particularly hot topic in developing nations across the world. As their economies grow, countries may begin to exploit the natural resources which can have a huge negative impact on the ecosystem within their borders.

In China, for example, many conservation efforts are aimed at trying to prevent deforestation, which is at least partially responsible for the increased rate at which the Gobi desert is transforming the landscape of China into a parched and unusable desert tract.

In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest is another massive ecosystem that many conservationists believe is on the verge of collapse. Slash-and-burn farming is slowing eating away at the Amazon rainforest, and many conservationists believe that, eventually, deforestation will reach a point where the forest will no longer be a self sustaining ecosystem, and the entire forest will begin to wither and die.

also see in Careers: How to Start a Career in Nature Conservation

The world's oceans, too, are perhaps the biggest ecosystem in dire need of conservation as water pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction have brought the entire ocean ecosystem, many conservationists believe, almost to the point of collapse.

As science has shown us just how interconnected the world really is, conservation efforts across the world have expanded as the help raise the consciousness of the general public on the topic.

Conservation is no longer about preserving isolated pieces of land, but rather about preserving a delicate ecosystem called planet Earth.

More information on conservation around the Web:

Conservation International - Central clearinghouse of information and learning resources by topic including climate change, oceans and forests, species protection and ecotourism plus a guide with tips on how everyone can contribute to conserving and protecting the earth's natural resources.

Conservation Magazine - The online edition of the print publication with current and archived feature articles browseable by subject area including teaching resources, subscription information.

Living Things: Habitats and Ecosystems - Excellent intro to the subject for students including a collection of resources on the earth's ecosystems, biomes and oceans, with teaching tools and ideas for field and class projects.

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - From the United Nations Environment Programme with lists and information on World Heritage sites, parks and protected areas worldwide, interactive maps and related publications.

also see -> Earth Day | Global Warming | Your Carbon Footprint

Water Conservation