Conservation of Biodiversity

Biodiversity conservation can be: in situ or ex situ conservation

  • In situ conservation - preservation of species within their natural environment habitat:

-National parks

-Biosphere reserves (terrestrial and marine)

-Nature parks or wildlife sanctuaries

(+) keeps organisms within natural food chains/webs

(+) allows organism to stay where they are adapted to

(+) maintains normal behaviours

(+) the goal is to maintain and preserve entire ecosystems and areas

(-) lacks efficiency

(-) lead to a decrease in genetic diversity (controls immigration/emigration)

(-) greater maintenance and costs involved

 

  • Ex situ conservation - preservation of species outside their natural habitats:

-Seed banks, cryopreservation, field gene banks

-Botanical Gardens, Arboreta, Zoos (captive breeding), Aquariums

-Home gardens, Sacred Plants

(+) greater control of conditions

(+) less competition and stress for food

(+) continuation of species that have lose their habitat permanently

(+) longer lifetime

(-) doesn't help to prevent the destruction of the environment

(-) limited genetic diversity as species are within a shallow gene pool

(-) species raised in captivity are less likely to be re-introduced back into the wild

 

In-situ conservation in Switzerland

Swiss National Park is a strictly protected wilderness where flora and fauna can develop freely, and natural processes are allowed to run their course unhindered

Found in 1914, it is the oldest national park in the Alp and at the same time the only wilderness area with the highest conservation status

  • UNESCO Biosphere park Entlebuch

  • Landschaftspark Binnthal

  • Regional Nature Park Diemtigtal

Ex-situ conservation in Switzerland

  • Arboretum Aubonne

  • Agroscope gene bank