Importance of Environmental Conservation

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Agriculture

Agriculture relies on earth; soil, and we rely on agriculture for the production of food, both plants and animals. Conserving the environment, with regards to agriculture, could mean preventing soil erosion, flooding and desertification, and this helps with people have food on their table. Unsustainable farming techniques impact natural ecosystems and make farming impossible.

Unsustainable techniques used in modern agriculture include:

• Using lots of chemicals/artificial fertilizers: these are toxic to pollinators and wildlife, running off into water bodies, polluting rivers, land and wetlands. They result in destruction of soil micro-organisms and bacterial critical to healthy soils.
• Production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs): GMO crops result in huge increase in farming using agricultural chemicals, applied directly to crops.
• Monoculture: this practice of growing a single crop in large scale has led to deforestation, widespread use of heavy machinery destroying soil structure, and large-scale use of agricultural chemicals.
• Downhill/uphill plowing: lack of knowledge on how to make soil for planting when working on sloppy or hilly landscapes which can lead to creation of channels downhill that increases runoff and increases soil erosion.

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Fishing

Water bodies, like the oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, springs and wet lands are another source of essentials such as food. People depend on seafood and related activities for sustainability. Aquatic life conservation is therefore vital in protecting human food supplies, human activities and aquatic animals. This saves aquatic life from extinction and the water bodies also provide water and food to people and land animals.

Some of the major challenges affecting the oceans include overfishing like use of trawlers and unlicensed net sizes, and pollution through factory effluent discharge, raw sewerage, plastics and destruction of habitat for shipping pathways and harbors.

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Climate

Conserving natural environments should be done to see extreme outcomes we’ve and are currently experiencing to be reversed. Human activities have a direct impact on the climate and a subsequent effect on all life. Global warming, linked to greenhouse gas emissions, which is an adverse effect on the climate, results in droughts, floods, rising sea levels and cases of extreme heat and cold.

Climate change is a result of human activities and has been linked to excess rainfall, extreme weather and a change in regular weather patterns. For instance, reforestation will bring about rainfall, which will facilitate agriculture, reducing air pollution use of alternative methods of energy like electricity, wind or solar energy in place of firewood, coal, fossil fuels and charcoal.

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Water Quality

A conserved environment decreases the prevalence of water-borne diseases, increases the quality of water entering aquifers, helps use surface water for recreation and increases the overall quality of life. Environmentally, a conserved environment preserves the diversity of water-dependent plants and animals and preserves the various natural services of aquatic ecosystems.

Conservation measures ensure there is excellent-quality water for all. Economically, conservation of the environment boosts tourism, provides catchment area for fishing, decreases the cost of healthcare, and provides an environment for the ecotourism industry.

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Air Quality

A well conserved environment provides good-quality air. Economically, it boosts tourism, decreases healthcare costs and decreases the corrosion of buildings and pavements.

It reduces the prevalence of circulatory and lung-related diseases hence better quality of life for the residents. Environmentally, it preserves water quality and preserves aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity.

Importance of Environmental Conservation to Biodiversity Preservation and Wildlife Protection

Conserving the environment preserves water and land-based ecosystems, preserves energy flow throughout the biosphere, provides for natural services, preserves food chains, and boosts nature-based tourism hence protects wildlife and promotes biodiversity. Maintaining a healthy and functional ecosystem helps prevent the extinction of certain animal species. If the environment is destroyed, some animals migrate or are forced out of their habitat, making it hard for them to survive elsewhere.

It could also bring about human and animal conflict, which ends catastrophically for both species.

Importance Environmental Conservation to Protecting the Earth

Environmental conservation protects and safeguards the environment from certain factors that are ruining the earth, such as climate change. Reduction in the amount of damage we are inflicting on the earth as it is contributing to its destruction.

If we do not conserve the environment, nature has a vicious way of fighting back to sustain itself, such as extreme weather, droughts and heavy rains which are negatively affecting our lives, our food, and homes. We have to do everything humanly possible to conserve the environment, for our planet’s sake.

Importance Environmental Conservation to Human Health

Environmental conservation will in turn protect and improve human lives and health. If the environment is destroyed, new diseases emerge, and species that could help produce medicines are destroyed.

Wild habitats are particularly important as they prevent emerging infectious diseases from jumping from animals to humans.

The Ebola outbreak, for instance, is an animal disease that jumped to humans and is believed to have been spread to humans by bats. Simply put, we cannot be healthy in an unhealthy environment. We have to conserve the environment for our own health and future.