We explain what environmental conservation is and why it is so important. Examples of environmental protection measures.
What is environmental conservation?
The environmental conservation, environmental conservation either environmental protectionrefers to the different ways that exist to regulate, minimize or prevent the damage that industrial, agricultural, urban, commercial or other activities cause to natural ecosystems, and mainly to flora and fauna.
Environmental conservation It is the primary objective of conservationism a social movement in defense of ecological policies and laws, and has as values biodiversity, biotic balance, landscape harmony, among others. This position, however, is not identical to that of environmentalists, nor should it be confused with it. The latter advocate the non-exploitation of nature's resources, while conservationists demand responsible and sustainable exploitation in environmental terms.
Environmental conservation is the product of diverse reasons, such as:
- Scientific reasons The preservation of genetic biodiversity is key to sustaining life on Earth, in addition to irreparable ecological damage usually having unpredictable chemical and biological repercussions, which may threaten human health.
- Economic reasons Sustainable exploitation, which allows the replenishment of natural resources and does not destroy the habitat in which they are found, becomes more profitable in the long term, since they last much longer than if they are simply looted and exhausted in a short time.
- Cultural reasons Many exploitable territories entail an important cultural value for various populations, who consider them places of pilgrimage or mystical contact, when not simply part of the tourist and traditional attraction of their countries.
- Ethical reasons Given the previous reasons, the State has the ethical obligation to safeguard the common good of its inhabitants and, together with the other States, of the species. To do this, it must preserve the environment.
- Social reasons The indiscriminate and often illegal exploitation of resources usually has a negative impact on the weakest societies, causing poorly paid work, poverty, misery, diseases, etc.
- Legal reasons There is international legislation that defends the environment and whose obedience is considered a mandate of nations.
Importance of environmental conservation
Environmental defense is key in the industrial world that inaugurated the 20th century since it constitutes one of the few brakes on the economic ambition of human beings and their desire to transform and commercialize raw materials, which usually entails disastrous consequences for other forms of life, if not for the human being himself.
Epidemics, climate catastrophes, extinctions, resource depletion and a long etcetera are the consequences of an irresponsible industrial policy, which eventually returns to human beings like a boomerang.
Types of environmental conservation
Environmental conservation occurs based on three fundamental axes of action:
- Organization of space So that exploitation occurs in controllable terms and contemplates various options for access to resources, to choose the most appropriate one.
- Protection of heritage Each country has a historical, natural and cultural legacy that is part of its identity and its own existence, which must be protected from predatory hands.
- Guarantee the production base Prevent the depletion or misappropriation of non-renewable natural resources, such as oil, of very high industrial value but enormous environmental risks during their extraction and transportation, so that economic activity can be sustained.
Examples of conservation measures
Some important measures for environmental preservation are:
- Promote environmental education Educate the population to consume and work in an eco-responsible manner, choosing carefully what products to use, how to dispose of their waste and how to minimize the damage that their way of life does to the environment.
- Promote savings Natural resources such as water, electricity (the generation of which consumes raw materials) or food must be managed responsibly, both by the population and by the business world, remembering that resources are limited and needs infinite.
- Environmental laws The punishment for those who damage the environment must be exemplary, whether it is a company that dumps toxic waste into a lake, a home that generates excess non-recyclable garbage, or the owner of a car that does not comply with a minimum environmental regulation.
- Use of alternative energies Replacing fossil fuels and other traditional methods of industrial activity with more environmentally friendly ones will always be a good idea in the future.
