Conservation Mechanisms

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Terence Hay-Edie and Bilgi Bulus, GEF Small Grants Programme, Dominique Bikaba, Strong Roots,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 9) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 10. Verbatim.

There is more than one way to conserve biodiversity. As biodiversity and its use to communities vary, so too should conservation mechanisms. Biodiversity conservation plans for a rainforest will be different from plans for a grassland or a swamp. There are different approaches involving different groups of people. There are different types of landscapes, each being used or protected for different purposes. There are different strategies and timeframes for achieving similar goals.

 In situ and ex situ conservation

In situ and ex situ are the Latin words for “on-site” and “offsite”. They are two different, but complementary approaches to biodiversity conservation; each plays a distinct and important role. In situ conservation occurs in nature, for instance in a protected area, traditional farm, nature reserve or national park. Ex-situ conservation occurs when a specimen of a species is set in artificial conditions such as in a zoo or a botanical garden.

In situ conservation helps to guarantee the survival of a species in its natural habitat.  It is important for observing the behaviour of a species, understanding how individuals interact with other members of their species and with other species, and classifying a species as endemic (e.g. exists exclusively in a particular region), rare or under threat of extinction (see box: “In Situ Conservation of Great Apes”). 

In situ conservation also enables researchers to determine the distribution of a species throughout the world, to assess traditional communities’ contribution to conservation, and to inform local conservation initiatives. 

The IUCN, with the help of various UN agencies and governments, classifies protected areas into seven main categories: 

•• Category Ia: Integral NaturalReserve 

•• Category Ib: Wild Nature Zone 

•• Category II: National Park 

•• Category III: Natural Monument 

•• Category IV: Managed area for habitat and species 

•• Category V: Terrestrial and marine landscape 

•• Category VI: Protected area for managed natural resources. 

Ex situ conservation should be used as a “last resort” or as a supplement to in situ conservation. Ex situ conservation is rarely enough to save a species from extinction. However, it is a key element for environmental and species education programmes because it provides the public with an opportunity to observe rare species from around the world in one location. If you’ve ever visited a zoo, animal sanctuary, botanical garden or seedbank, you’ve seen ex-situ conservation.

Ask yourself ...

'What protected areas exist in your country?Do they house any animal species at risk of extinction?'

Different types of ex situ conservation have different goals and characteristics. 

In Situ Conservation of Great Apes

Did you know that all great apes are endangered species? There are four types of great apes worldwide: gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. They all live in unstable and poor regions of the world such as central Africa and southeast Asia.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC ) is a natural home to three of the four great apes, including the bonobo, which is endemic to the country. 

 Different types of ex situ conservation

A young boy meets Talini, a polar bear cub, at the Detroit Zoo.

© David Hogg/www.flickr.com
Eastern common chimpanzees in Mahale Mountains National Park,
Western Tanzanita.

© G. Wales

Zoos focus on public education, conservation science and animal management research.

Sanctuaries aim to protect animals and eventually release them into the wild. Most of the animals are confiscated from poachers (illegal hunters), pet traders, etc. The Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance (PASA ), for example, was created to unite the African sanctuaries that had emerged in response to the deforestation, bushmeat hunting, human encroachment and disease that were decimating wild primate populations.

A Vriesea bromeliad at the Botanical Garden of Montreal.
© Christine Gibb 
The Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway is the ultimate safe place for crop diversity.

© Global Crop Diversity Trust

Botanical gardens are meant for plant research, display of specimens and training.

Seedbanks are more like museums; they house plant material that can be used as a source for planting if seed reserves – in cultivation or in nature – are destroyed or extinct. Seedbanks also provide researchers and breeders with crop seeds important for agriculture.