Conservation and Protected Areas

What this unit covers

The resources here follow conservation from its reasons to its practice. Some explain why species and habitats matter, such as the mind map Reason for wildlife conservation and the notes Reasons for maintaining biodiversity. Others look at threats, extinction, alien species and the species-area relationship. A third group deals with protected areas: designations, governance, reserve design and management outside reserves.

Where to start

1. Open the mind map ENVS 1. It runs from conditions for life on Earth through the rationale for conservation, methods, and conservation in the UK and abroad.
2. Move to Conservation in situ and Approaches to conservation to see how management is carried out.
3. Look at Island Biogeography for principles such as patches, size, shape, edge effects and corridors, plus nature reserve design.
4. Finish with place-based examples such as Snowdonia, The Galapagos Islands and Conservation Of Giant Pandas.

Facts and case studies

The flashcard deck Critically Endangered Species (2022) covers animals such as orangutans, hawksbill turtles, rhinos and Sumatran tigers, with scientific names and conservation status. Human impact on environment asks why humans are a risk and why species become threatened. The Endangered Animals mind map sets out threats, description and how people are helping for each animal.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. Conservation Challenges and Managing Species in the Wild are good checks after the management maps. Conservation Ethics pairs well with the notes on whether wild animals and animal parts should be tradable commodities. Note which questions you miss, then go back to the matching map or deck.

Exam-minded students will find material linked to A-level Biology, A-level Environmental Science, GCSE Biology and IB. The quiz Past Exam is a place to practise.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the Ecology and Biodiversity strand of Environmental science and ecology. Choose one map that matches what you are studying and work outwards from there.