conservation

Table of Contents

Introduction
The pathology of extinction
- Rates of natural and present-day species extinction
  - How many species are there?
  - Calculating background extinction rates
  - Recent extinction rates
    - Pacific island birds
    - Flowering plants
    - Freshwater mussels and clams
    - Freshwater fish
    - Australian mammals
  - Calculating relative rates of extinction
  - Predicting future rates of extinction
    - Inexorable declines
    - Surviving but threatened small populations
    - The loss of populations
    - The loss of ecosystems
- Factors that cause extinction
  - Habitat loss
    - On land
      Endemic species
      Range size
      Terrestrial hot spots
      Predictions of extinctions based on habitat loss
      Fire suppression as habitat loss
    - In the oceans
    - In fresh water
  - Pollution
  - Introduced species
  - Overharvesting
    - Whaling
    - Fishing
    - Logging and collecting
  - Secondary extinctions
  - Global warming
- Which species are most vulnerable to extinction?
  - Endemism and rarity
  - Body size and related reproductive characteristics
  - Behaviour
    - Size of home range
    - Concentration
    - Low dispersal
    - Mating systems
  - Insularity
  - Human use
Preventing the loss of biodiversity
- Species interventions
  - Protective custody
  - Genetic intervention
  - Associated difficulties and costs
    - Protecting species
    - Removing invasive species
    - Introducing species
- Habitat protection
- Habitat connections
- Habitat management
  - Fire control
  - Flood control
- Habitat restoration
- Putting a price on conservation

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

terrestrial hot spots of biodiversity

Gloved hand holds a vial with penguin feces; two Magellanic penguins look on from the right, with emphasis marks on the sample.

plesiosaur fossil

species of apes

phylogenetic tree

western bluebird

eastern bluebirds

For Students

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conservation summary

conservation: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	environmentalism • nature conservation • conservation of natural resources

Photos and Videos

terrestrial hot spots of biodiversity

plesiosaur fossil

species of apes

phylogenetic tree

western bluebird

eastern bluebirds

Cape sugarbird and king protea

Gloved hand holds a vial with penguin feces; two Magellanic penguins look on from the right, with emphasis marks on the sample.

Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

Overfishing: A threat to the oceans and marine life

Is the tiger population declining?

The video thumbnail image shows a monarch butterfly perched on a plant with purple flowers.

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Topics

seed bank Australian conservation wildlife conservation sustained yield World Network Biosphere Reserve species-by-species approach ecological restoration recycling charismatic megafauna hot spot biodiversity loss deforestation ecological footprint carbon footprint pollution

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Key People

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Mo Udall

American politician

Biruté Galdikas

Biruté Galdikas

primatologist, conservationist, and educator

Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson

first lady of the United States

Al Gore

Al Gore

vice president of United States

John Muir

John Muir

Scottish-born American naturalist

“Father of the green revolution” in India

M.S. Swaminathan

Indian scientist

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin

Australian wildlife conservationist and television personality

Paul Watson.

Paul Watson

Canadian environmental activist

David Suzuki

David Suzuki

Canadian scientist, television personality, author, and activist

Murie, Margaret

Margaret Murie

American naturalist, conservationist, and writer

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Julia Carabias Lillo

Mexican ecologist and environmentalist

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Emma Lucy Braun

American botanist and ecologist

Flannery, Tim

Tim Flannery

Australian zoologist

Baun, Aleta

Aleta Baun

Indonesian conservationist

Gifford Pinchot

Gifford Pinchot

American conservationist

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland

prime minister of Norway

Julia Butterfly Hill

Julia Butterfly Hill

American activist

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Anil Kumar Agarwal

Indian journalist and scholar

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson

American biologist

Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey

American zoologist