The Need for Environment Conservation - A Research Paper on Ecology

There is one planet, and we believe that the world will only get better for our lives to be worth. This is the reason why every environment lover will always do their best to ensure that environment has been preserved and conserved. Considering the advancement in modern technology, it even gets stiff protecting the environment. This is due to high level of toxic substances being released into the air that we end up breathing, the water which we use for drinking, and the soil where the food we consume grows. This poses a significant dilemma to environmental conservatives who firmly believe that the way people live is a reflection of their feeling toward nature and the way they act or their habits will always indicate what they indeed value. This paper will look into what environment conservation is, the state of various environment pollution, the importance of conserving the environment and the challenges that environment conservationist are likely to encounter in their efforts to conserve the environment.

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There are a couple of things that individuals can do to protect and reconstruct natural resources and biodiversity. The term environmental conservation can be said as anything that is done to protect and rebuild the natural resources contained in our planet. This is to improve the quality of living things and the natural resources (Sodhi, et al. 15). When we talk about conservation, it can take two dimensions, that is, protecting what is left or nature which is mainly done through vital resources. The other aspect is acting in a manner that is against irresponsible practices that may end up polluting or destroying the natural resources.

Environmental conservation may come in various forms, but the common aspect in all these forms is that they all insist on practicing mindful behavior and making informed decisions which will not degrade our environment. This is because every living being including people, plants, animals, and other living organisms will always depend on the environment for their survival. An indication and a reminder that no matter how small or insignificant a decision appears to be, it will have a significant impact and instill changes which will determine wellbeing of our environment and future habitat.

Protection of environment begins right away from our houses and progressively continues for it to be experienced in a geographical area and globally. It begins right from the small decisions we make, that is, by paying attention to what we purchase, how we use these commodities, and how we take care of what is surrounding us to protect the resources (Sherbinin, et al. 36). Given the days we are in, it is almost impossible for one to live chemical-free life, at one circumstance, one will have to use a chemical substance. Range from the drugs prescribed in healthcare facilities, home appliances, detergents, foodstuffs, and self-care commodities. All these will have chemical substances. We should pay attention to how we use these products and how they are disposed of so that they will not pollute or poison water bodies, soil, and air. This is an important decision we make and plays a significant role in protecting the environment. An indication that every decision we make will always affect our tomorrow and the future generation wellbeing.

Industrialization began long ago in developed countries and continued to happen in developing countries. The same problems faced by these developed countries are being experienced by the emerging economies (Asif & Muneer, 1890). These problems include massive trees cut down, contamination of water bodies and soil causing the death of fish and other aquatic life. Rivers are still disappearing as a result of climate change and excessive usage of water causing the death of animals, insects, and plants. This is a sign that despite the efforts put to arrest the harmful effects of industrialization to the environment, more still needs to be done to contain the condition.

In the agricultural sector, environmental issues are not given the required contemplation. According to the Driving Force State Response (DRS) framework, there are two driving force indicators in the agricultural sector which will have effects on the environment. These are changes in the farm management practices and the use of agricultural inputs (Elbehri, Segerstedt & Liu, 55). The two will have varying effects on the environment. They will have an impact on the soil, water, and biodiversity. It is therefore important for individuals in the agriculture sector to ensure that they make informed decisions that will promote the protection of the environment.

There are various reasons as to why we should care and protect the environment. First, the earth is the only home we have. The natural surroundings determine the condition of our health which dictates the quality of life (Flint, 18). The natural environment will become unbalanced and unstable when polluted. This will put our health at risk since the chemical toxins contained in the water, air, and the food that we consume will cause diseases affecting the quality of life. In other words, protecting the environment is protecting humanity and promoting a high quality of life.

It is also important to protect and conserve the environment since it will ensure the protection of ecosystems. We hear stories about dinosaurs which existed millions of years ago before they became extinct. Human activities may lead to pollution and climate change and will have an effect on biodiversity (Hunter, et al. 250). Protecting and conserving the environment will make sure that ecosystems are protected which means that the ecosystem will not fall apart, endangered species of animals and plants will not, therefore, become extinct. Besides human being have either direct or indirect dependence on biodiversity. They need food which they will only get from biological diversity. They need air to breath, and water to drink. More also, they need shelter which is built using natural materials. Loss of biodiversity will have a direct impact on human life.

Environmental conservation cannot be considered necessary only for animals but for all living things. Conserving the environment will help avoid natural calamities such as floods, desert encroachment, drought, and famine. Protecting trees in the rain forest is important. Failure to this, there will be increased production of the greenhouse gases which will lead to increased temperatures or world warm-up conditions. This has effects like rising sea levels causing flooding. Destruction of these forests reduces the overall vegetation cover leading to desert encroachment in areas that were previously productive. This makes those areas too dry and hot for people, animals, and plant's comfort.

There are different small ways that individuals can practice and contribute protecting and conserving the environment. It should be known that change does not need to be huge, little things done incrementally can lead to a significant shift and affect the environment positively. One of these practices is conserving energy at home. Turn off those lights and other electrical appliance when they are not being used. Responsible use of energy consuming devices and ensuring that one purchase energy saving appliances will also play a prominent role in environmental protection. Also, there is a great need to embrace using alternative sources of energy such as wind power and solar energy (Goldemberg, 144). These two energy sources have no a polluting effect on the environment and are renewable. They can be considered instead of using energy coming from other non-renewable energy sources such as burning fossil fuels that emit harmful gases into the air polluting the environment.

Individuals may also try reducing self-drives to work and consider using public transport. Self-drives leads to increased carbon emissions to the air. This problem is dominant in urban areas where there is a huge number of cars due to high population. The emissions contain toxic gases which lead to air pollution causing respiratory infections such as asthma and other lung diseases. Using public transport or walking to work will help reduce the emission of these gases ensuring the air is clean and safe. This means that the occurrence of respiratory disease will reduce accordingly.

Individuals and companies can also embrace environment protection through minimizing their waste. This can be adopted trough reuse, reduce and recycle of waste to reduce wastage. Reducing the waste ensures that scarce natural resources are not wasted.

Farmers and industries need to take proper actions to reduce and prevent soil pollution. Farmers must make appropriate decisions on the best methods of farming which will reduce all forms of soil pollution including soil erosion (Aktar, et al. 6). They have to ensure that chemicals they are using like pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers have little adverse effect on the environment. Besides, farmers can opt to practice organic farming which produces chemical free foodstuffs. Organic food is more than welcome given its good taste of its products and their quality.

Factories have to take their responsibility and ensure they treat any waste before they can release it either to water bodies or the soil. This is more applicable to chemical producing factories. They have to ensure they treat their waste before it is released to the rivers or other water bodies (Richard & Ivanildo, 264). This will ensure that the waste will not have an adverse negative effect on animals and insects living in water as well as human beings consuming the water. It will help to reduce the cost of cleaning the water bodies due to a large scale of contamination. Cleaning may even be impossible at large scales.

Efforts of environment conservation are met with challenges, one being the lack of enough policies integrating the community involvement in environment conservation. Lack of these policies causes lack of much efforts by the community to protect the environment (Bennett, Nathan &Philip, 110). To overcome the challenge, there should be proper institutional and legal framework ensuring enforcement of environmental regulations. The policy and law enforcement agencies should be well financed and be equipped with the relevant personnel to obtain relevant support. The old outdated laws and policies should be reviewed and updated depending on the conditions.

In conclusion, environmental conservation should be given high priority since human, plants, and animal lives depend on the environment. It is every person's responsibility to pro the environment by implementing proper, informed choices regarding chemical use, disposal, and proper farming practices. It should be known that no matter how insignificant or small these choices may seem, progressive application of good choices will have a significant positive effect on the environment.

Work cited

Aktar, Wasim, Dwaipayan Sengupta, and Ashim Chowdhury. "Impact of pesticides use in agriculture: their benefits and hazards." Interdisciplinary toxicology 2.1 (2009): 1-12.

Sherbinin, Alex, et al. "Rural household demographics, livelihoods and the environment." Global environmental change 18.1 (2008): 38-53.

Asif, Muhammad, and Tariq Muneer. "Energy supply, its demand and security issues for developed and emerging economies." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 11.7 (2007): 1388-1413.

Bennett, Nathan James, and Philip Dearden. "Why local people do not support conservation: community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts, governance and management in Thailand." Marine Policy 44 (2014): 107-116.

Elbehri, Aziz, Anna Segerstedt, and Pascal Liu. Biofuels and...