Conservation — Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

Section 1 of 17Sustainable use of resources

Sustainable resource

Sustainable resource one produced as rapidly as it is removed from the environment, so it does not run out.

• Examples are food, water and wood.

Non-renewable resources

• Non-renewable resources fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) cannot be replaced once used.

Raw materials

• Raw materials fossil fuels are also raw materials for plastics, so use should be reduced.

Reuse and recycling

• Reuse and recycling of paper, plastic, glass and metal reduce waste and the raw materials and energy needed.

Section 2 of 17Sustainable development

1Sustainable development

Sustainable development development providing for the needs of an increasing human population without harming the environment.

2Conflicting demands

• Conflicting demands local people against large companies, humans against wildlife, and present against future populations.

3Cooperation

• Cooperation needed at local, national and international levels.

Section 3 of 17Sustaining forests

Replanting

• Replanting paper forests replant similar trees when mature trees are cut.

Tropical hardwoods

• Tropical hardwoods teak and mahogany take many years to regrow.

Tracking schemes

• Tracking schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council monitor logging companies and track wood.

Education

• Education of loggers and consumers about sustainable sources.

Section 4 of 17Sustaining fish stocks

Quotas

• Quotas control the number of fish caught each year.

Size limits

• Size limits net mesh size protects small fish so enough breed.

Closed seasons

• Closed seasons stop catching fish when they gather to breed.

Restocking

• Restocking young fish are bred and released when large enough.

Education

• Education fishermen learn the laws and consumers avoid unsustainable fish.

Section 5 of 17Endangered species

Endangered species

Endangered species a species at risk of becoming extinct.

Threats

• Threats hunting, climate change, pollution, loss of habitat and introduced non-native species that outcompete natives.

Small populations

• Small populations have less genetic variation, so adapt less well to environmental change and face greater extinction risk.

Section 6 of 17Conservation methods

1Monitoring and legal protection

• Monitoring and legal protection of species and their habitats, for example hunting bans.

2Education programmes

• Education programmes raise awareness of conservation.

3Captive breeding programmes

• Captive breeding programmes breed endangered animals, using artificial insemination or IVF to keep genetic variation.

4Seed banks

• Seed banks store seeds of endangered plants in cool, dry conditions so they can be regrown.

Section 7 of 17Reasons for conservation

Reasons for conservation

Extinction

• Extinction reduces extinction of plant and animal species.

Ecosystems

• Ecosystems protects vulnerable ecosystems such as rainforests and limits damage to food chains and webs.

Biodiversity

• Biodiversity a stable ecosystem has many species.

Nutrient cycling

• Nutrient cycling for example the carbon cycle, which limits climate change.

Resources

• Resources food, drugs from plants and fuel.

Gene pool

• Gene pool a wide gene pool remains for future needs.

Section 8 of 17More from the specification

1

Renewable energy as a sustainable means

• Renewable energy as a sustainable means transitioning to solar, wind,
  • and geothermal power provides a vital technological means to achieve long-term ecological sustainability.

2

Preservation of Global Biodiversity and Genetic Resources

• Maintaining global biodiversity safeguards critical ecosystem services, sustains stable food supplies,
  • and preserves wild plant genomes that hold potential for life-saving pharmaceuticals and crop breeding.

3

In-Situ and Ex-Situ Conservation Strategies

• In-situ conservation protects native organisms within gazetted national parks and marine reserves,
• while ex-situ efforts utilize botanic seed banks, captive breeding programs, and artificial insemination in certified zoological facilities.

4

Sustainable Resource Management and Sustainable Development

• Sustainable practices satisfy modern socioeconomic needs without compromising the ecological capital of future generations.
  • (such as regulated fishing quotas, selective forest harvesting, and renewable energy adoption)

5

Global warming

• Rise in the mean temperature of Earth's surface and lower atmosphere.

6

Intensive farming

• Producing as much food as possible from limited land and resources.

7

Monoculture

• Growing one type of crop on a large area.

8

Habitat destruction

• Damage or removal of the places where organisms live.

Section 9 of 17Why conserve biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity the variety of living organisms in an area.

Extinction

• Extinction conservation can prevent species from becoming extinct.

Habitats

• Habitats conservation protects habitats that might be lost through human activity.

Stability

• Stability a diverse community is better able to maintain its functions when conditions change.

Section 10 of 17Ecosystem functions and resources

Ecosystem functions and resources

Nutrient cycling

• Nutrient cycling for example the cycling of carbon.

Food supply

• Food supply ecosystems provide food.

Medicines

• Medicines plants may provide useful drugs.

Fuel

• Fuel ecosystems provide fuel for activities such as cooking.

Genes

• Genes a broad range of genes is valuable for future breeding or adaptation.

Section 11 of 17Conservation and genetic variation

Small population

• Small population may lose genetic variation as individuals die or fail to breed.

Fewer alleles

• Fewer alleles the species may be less able to survive a new disease or environmental change.

Extinction risk

• Extinction risk increases as variation falls.

Conservation programmes

• Conservation programmes should protect genetic diversity as well as numbers of individuals.

Section 12 of 17Artificial insemination

Artificial insemination

Artificial insemination inserting sperm from a selected male into a female's reproductive tract.

Transport

• Transport sperm can be sent between breeding centres without moving the animals.

Benefit

• Benefit allows breeding between geographically separated individuals.

Section 13 of 17In vitro fertilisation

IVF

IVF sperm fertilises eggs outside the body.

Embryo transfer

• Embryo transfer the embryo may then be placed in a female for development.

Genetic lines

• Genetic lines choosing gametes from different lines helps retain a wide range of alleles.

Result

• Result the next generation stays genetically diverse.

Section 14 of 17Risks to a species

Smaller population

• Smaller population leads to reduced genetic variation.

Environmental change

• Environmental change the species is more susceptible to it.

Resilience

• Resilience it is less resilient and has a greater risk of extinction.

Section 15 of 17More from the specification

More from the specification

Biodiversity preservation and fossil fuels

• Biodiversity preservation and fossil fuels decreasing industrial dependence on refined fossil fuels provides a vital means to protect global wildlife biomes.

Sustainable resource management

• Sustainable management balances human consumption of freshwater, timber, and arable land with long-term ecosystem conservation.

Deforestation and habitat fragmentation

• Large-scale clearing of native forests reduces biodiversity, accelerates soil erosion, and disrupts regional hydrological cycles.

Pollution mitigation in aquatic ecosystems

• Treating industrial effluents and reducing agricultural fertiliser runoff prevents eutrophication and preserves freshwater ecosystems.

Sustainable forest management

• Sustainable forest management replanting trees and establishing protected conservation areas sustains wood resources without destroying biodiversity.

Agricultural water pollution

• Agricultural water pollution excessive synthetic fertilisers from livestock farming leach into waterways, causing eutrophication and oxygen depletion.

Combustion and carbon dioxide

• Combustion and carbon dioxide clearing forests for agricultural expansion elevates atmospheric carbon dioxide, intensifying global greenhouse warming.

Monoculture

• Growing one type of crop on a large area.

Climate change

• Long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns.

Habitat destruction

• Damage or removal of the places where organisms live.

Global warming

• Rise in the mean temperature of Earth's surface and lower atmosphere.

Fossil fuel

• Fuel formed from long-dead organisms.

Captive breeding

• Breeding endangered species in zoos or reserves.

Intensive farming

• Producing as much food as possible from limited land and resources.

Pollution

• The addition of harmful substances to the environment.

Sustainable

• Able to continue without damaging resources for the future.

Endangered

• At risk of extinction.

Section 16 of 17Key terms

Term	Meaning
Sustainable resource	A resource produced as fast as it is removed.
Non-renewable resource	A resource that cannot be replaced once used.
Sustainable development	Meeting present needs without harming the environment for the future.
Quota	A limit on the number of fish that may be caught.
Endangered species	A species at risk of extinction.
Seed bank	A store of seeds kept for future growth.

Term	Meaning
Biodiversity	The variety of living organisms in an area.
Genetic diversity	The range of alleles within a population.
Artificial insemination	Placing sperm in a female's reproductive tract without mating.
In vitro fertilisation	Fertilising eggs with sperm outside the body.
Gene pool	All the alleles in a population.

Section 17 of 17Exam technique

1

Saying fossil fuels are sustainable — they are non-renewable.

2

Saying conservation protects only large animals — it also protects plants, ecosystems and genes.

3

Saying a small population is unaffected by disease — low variation makes it more vulnerable.

4

Saying sustainable means no use — it means use at a rate that can be replaced.

1

Saying numbers alone matter for conservation — genetic diversity matters too.

2

Saying conservation has no benefit for people — it protects food, medicines and nutrient cycles.

3

Saying AI needs animals to travel — only the sperm travels.

4

Saying a species with a small population is safe from disease — low variation increases the risk.