Conservation of Biodiversity

What are the two main types of biodiversity conservation?

In situ and ex situ conservation.

What is in situ conservation?

Preservation of species within their natural habitat.

e.g national parks, biosphere reserves, wildfire sanctuaries

(+) What do they keep organisms within?

Their natural food chains and webs.

(+) What does it allow organisms to do?

Stay where they are adapted to

(+) What does it maintain?

Normal behaviours

(+) What does it aim to maintain and preserve?

Entire ecosystems and areas

(-) What does it lack?

Efficiency

(-) What does it lead to a decrease in?

Genetic diversity (controls immigration/emigration)

(-) What is greater?

Maintenance and costs involved

In situ conservation in Switzerland

• UNESCO Biosphere park Entlebuch

• Swiss National Park

• Regional Nature Park Diemtigtal

What is ex situ conservation?

Preservation of species outside their natural habitats.

e.g. seed banks, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums

(+) What is there great control over?

The conditions for the species.

(+) What is there less competition for?

Food

(+) What does it able to keep alive?

Species that have lost their habitat permanently

(+) Species live…

longer

(-) What does it not help prevent?

The destruction of the environment

(-) What does it limit?

Genetic diversity due to shallow gene pool

(-) What is unlikely to happen to species raised in captivity?

Less likely to re-introduced back into the wild

Ex situ conservation in Switzerland

• Arboretum Aubonne

• Agroscope gene bank