conservation (earth sciences)

The protection and preservation of the Earth's resources (eg plants, animals, land, energy, minerals) or of historical artefacts (eg books, paintings, monuments) for the future. The term is most widely used with reference to the environment, where several reasons are given for conservation. The World Conservation Strategy (1980) concluded that conservation of living resources was needed to preserve genetic diversity, to maintain essential ecological processes, and to ensure the sustainable use of species and ecosystems. This would maintain viable stocks of all animal and plant species, pure air and water, and fertile soil for future use, and allow animals, plants, and land to be there indefinitely. In this way conservation ensures that both present and future generations will be able to make maximum sustainable use of available resources. This definition is essentially economic. Some non-economic, though not necessarily non-utilitarian, reasons for conservation include the enjoyment and spiritual nature of wildlife and the land, the continued use of the land for recreation, and the moral responsibility to future generations to conserve the Earth and its resources.

Conservation may refer to the following:

Politics and policy Conservation movement, movement seeking to protect plant and animal species as well as the habitats they live in Conservationist, a proponent or advocate of conservation Conservation ethic in relation to preserving ecosystems Energy conservation, reducing non-renewable energy consumption Conservation biology, the protection and management of biodiversity Ethical Conservation, Moral or legislative progress toward freedom through advanced conduct - socially, fiscally or otherwise; based on Conservative governments and ideas Culture Art conservation, the profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property Architectural conservation, immovable object conservation Archaeological site conservation Science Conservation laws state that a measurable property (such as energy or mass) remains constant in a closed system over time Conservation (genetics), related to homologous proteins amongst various phyla Conservation (botany), a procedure for nomenclature Conservation (psychology), learning development of logical thinking, according to Jean Piaget