Conservation focuses on the protection and maintenance of ecosystems and all varieties of species. Adaptation, factors of properly functioning communities, and the interaction between different species all play key roles in conservation. The environment and species that live in those environments keep human life in check. Simple things such as food, natural resources, and energy all are things that the environment has that are essential to human life. Humans and the environment coexist and are meant to keep thriving populations. Regulated services help to control the ecosystem and the way in which they are preserved. Things such as water purification, pollination, pest control, and erosion and flood control are all things that are key in coexisting in life with humans. In the world, humans help ecosystems to thrive and vice versa. Coexisting makes each population work with each other and rely on one another for other things. The idea of coexisting is the base of the world and a huge part of conservation.
Biodiversity has been declining rapidly over the past six years. The biggest causes of this decrease in biodiversity is due to deforestation, habitat destruction, and overexploitation by hunters. These are great examples of humans over running the ecosystems and environments and not equally coexisting together. This is a problem because to coexist successfully, it needs to be an equal effort by everyone to help and rely on each other. Humans overrunning the environments and ecosystems is a great example of what conservation biology is not, and what should not be happening. Other causes which are more minor include climate change, invasive species, pollution, and disease. All these causes are not due to humans but can affect any sort of population or ecosystem. It is natural that the human population is constantly growing, maybe too fast for the ecosystem to catch up. This is a good reason for humans to make smarter decisions to preserve the other half of the planet. This situation goes back to the concept of coexisting, in which both parties must put in equal effort to work with one another positively instead of negatively. At this point, it is up to humans to make the difference. Conserving energy is one of the main ideas to help sustain environments. Conserving energy includes human transportation, as well as electricity usage, and simple things like appliances. To help the environment, we as humans need to do our part to coexist better. Another way in which humans can help is to conserve materials. Simple things such as volunteering, recycling, and even educating others about the importance of sustainability will tremendously help. Supporting sustainable practices such as locally grown produce or sustainability programs, as well as avoiding harmful chemicals that could harshly affect natural resources such as water, soil, and even the atmosphere. These are just a few of the reasons on how important it is for humans to show their appreciation for the other half of the planet. At the end of the day, the planet is all we have, so we need to respect and be kind in helping to maintain it for as long as possible. Doing your individual part is just the first step, and I urge everyone to switch up their habits in ways that will better serve the environment.