Conservation and Preservation

Abstract

From the definitions of the previous chapter it can be seen that preservation is a central theme of conservation, since any form of management on a sustained basis requires a nucleus of breeding stock, be this of either plants or animals. In Chapter 1 the genetical implications were also considered, and hence this breeding nucleus must be large enough not only to replace any mortality (natural or a harvest) but also to act as a gene bank for the species. In Chapter 5 there was a discussion of large and small weather effects, and the theory showed that a buffer was necessary, this being a portion left behind in the population in case there was a combination of adverse climatic conditions. Conservation is therefore centrally concerned with ways of preserving species, in terms of both numbers and genes and also in terms of a form of insurance against the worst possible conditions for the species survival.