Conservation is the act of protecting earth’s natural and human-made resources for current and future generations. It involves the prevention of wasteful use of resources. It is the careful maintenance and upkeep of natural resources to prevent them from disappearing.
Conservation includes the management of human use of natural resources for current public benefit and sustainable social and economic utilization.
An ecosystem is a community made up of all living things in an area and the way they affect each other and the environment. If a single part of the ecosystem is mismanaged, damaged or removed, it has an effect on all other parts of the system. It is a chain reaction and so, damage to habitat such as that caused by deforestation can have a disastrous effect not only on the many species which live in that habitat but also on the planet as a whole.
Trees help prevent climate change by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Carbon emission released during mining of charcoal, car exhaust, AC, both car and house and other industrial activities are absorbed by trees and locked away in their wood, leaves and soil, while burning of forest releases carbon and removing trees increases the amount of CO2 left in the atmosphere leading to global warming. Trees and plants are important for preventing erosion and for protecting against flooding because their root system holds the soil in place and absorbs excess water. This is only possible if the conservators see to the maintenance of the trees in the forest. When an animal is endangered or goes extinct, it has an effect on the plants and other animals in that ecosystem resulting in imbalance in the food chain. A carnivorous predator that feeds on other animals might be a control mechanism at preventing upsurge of the animal they feed on, and the eating of plants in one area. A tiny insect is a vital part of its ecosystem as it helps in pollinating our plants including the ones we grow for food, which is why we need to see to their conservation.
Conserving our fuel and other minerals is also vital for our environment. Many of these minerals are non-renewable, that is, they will dry up one day leaving none for future generations.
Environment, on the other hand, is the sum total of all the living and non-living elements and their effect that influences human life. While all living or biotic elements are animals, plants, forest, fisheries and birds, non-living or abiotic elements include water, land, sunlight, rocks and air.
We hear of threats to the environment every day. Whether it is the ravages of deforestation or pollution, apocalyptic sounding events, it can be overwhelming and challenging to discern what exactly it all means.
We all know our planet earth is home to a lot of ecosystems. They range from the tiny pools to the huge desert. An ecosystem consists of many elements which (cohere) cohabit. Therefore, there is a need for a balance in an ecosystem.
Ecological balance is a term used to describe the equilibrium between living organisms such as human beings, plants and animals as well as their environment.
Photosynthesis that takes place in ecosystems contributes to building a good environment that stabilizes the co-existence of all organisms. Harmonious relationships reflect healthy and desirable ecological balance. A balanced ecosystem will help in maintaining the flow of materials as well as energy.
Moreover, there is balance in an ecosystem because every existing element depends on each other. For instance, any waste is consumed by animals who are in turn consumed by humans and so forth (food chain).
A balanced ecosystem signifies a sustainable habitat that consists of animals, plants, micro and macro organisms and more which depend on each other and their surroundings for existence. It consists of living as well as non-living organisms which interact with each other in an environment. The non-living factors, which are also called the abiotic factors, consist of sunlight, temperature, soil, precipitation, landscape, moisture, while the living or the biotic factors are the plants which are primary producers and herbivores, the primary consumers. Then comes the secondary consumers which are the detritivores which consume the decaying organic matter.
Thus, we see how biotic factors depend on the abiotic factors in order to survive. Similarly, the plants need particular temperature, soil and moisture to thrive. Animals depend on these plants for food. Therefore, if there is a change or alteration of any one feature, the balance is distorted.
Energy and material recycling is needed for an ecosystem to be balanced. Sunlight is the key source of energy and photosynthesis in plant form oxygen which animals use for respiration, while animals in return release carbon which the plants use.
Equally, the small organisms and micro organisms help in the decomposition of plants and animals. During photosynthesis, energy in the form of heat is released to the atmosphere. Thus, the energy of the sun is essential for perpetuating the energy cycle in a balanced ecosystem. There is a need for a predator and prey relationship in order to maintain balance.
These chains are either top-down which are predator-related or bottom-up which are prey-related. If we remove a top predator, the whole food chain will be impacted. For instance, if the tiger goes extinct, herbivores like deer are more likely to increase in number, thus creating an ecological imbalance. In fact, both of these are important for striking the perfect balance.
Just like any other animal, humans also depend on a balanced ecosystem for a healthy life. Unfortunately, the activities being carried out by humans are creating a negative impact on the balance. For instance, when humans pollute the abiotic features like water, soil, air, they are degrading the quality of our environment and disrupting the balance. Similarly, deforestation, land conversion, over-fishing impact our balance ecosystem.
However, several good sustainable human activities can restore the lost balance in an ecosystem. Some of them are the use of biofuel, reforestation (afforestation), plastic ban or production of biodegradable plastic, prevention of burning of fossil fuel, etc. As humans, our role is key because we have the highest thinking capacity as compared to other living organisms. Sufficient food availability to all living organisms and their stability reflect the existence of ecological balance. It ensures survival, existence and stability of the environment. Various species survive because a favourable ecosystem ensures that each organism thrives and multiplies as expected. They get enough food to keep them alive. It also leads to the continuous existence of the organism and ensures no particular species is exploited or overused.
Deforestation leads to drought. Drought reduces food production resulting in insufficient food. Insufficient food leads to starvation and death, thus reducing the existence of some species. This calls for collective effort to ensure a stable environment is created.
In summary, ecological balance ensures the continued existence of the world earth’s habitat such as human beings, plants, animals and other microbes. If a stable environment is maintained, every species of plants and animals gets the conducive environment to multiply and thrive. The world gets to produce sufficient food for all and hunger caused by drought becomes history. This is because drought will never be experienced at any point, the green environment will be maintained and the world achieves its equilibrium state that benefits and protects all living organisms in it.