Many years ago, when populations were small, it seemed as if the world had an endless amount of natural resources. People did not worry about cutting down all the trees in a forest; there were plenty of other forests left. As the number of people in the world grew, however, so did the need to watch what was happening to the Earth's resources. People became interested in conservation—ways to protect and preserve things found in nature.

Renewable resources

Of the many resources to be found in nature, some of these things are renewable, which means that they can be replaced. Living things, such as trees, grasslands, and wildlife are examples of renewable resources because they can all reproduce. If a tree is cut down, another can be planted in its place. Animals have offspring that live on after the parents have died. However, renewable resources can still be damaged or destroyed. A forest in which all the mature trees have been cut down will not grow new ones overnight. An animal species will not be able to reproduce if hunters kill all its members. Conservation helps people manage renewable resources so they are kept in good supply.

Nonrenewable resources

Other kinds of resources are nonrenewable, meaning that they are limited in supply. When nonrenewable resources are gone there is no way to make more of them. Coal, petroleum (oil), and iron ore are examples of nonrenewable resources. Conservation of nonrenewable resources involves slowing down the rate at which these things are being used up. It also involves finding other products that can serve the same purpose. For example, less petroleum would be needed if other types of fuel became more readily available.

Conservation issues

Conservation is not an easy task. It involves hard choices, lifestyle changes, money, and awareness.

Say that an insect is killing a farmer's crop. The farmer may want to spray a chemical (pesticide) to get rid of the pest and protect his plants. However, the chemical may wash into local lakes and hurt the fish. Thus, while spraying may solve one problem, it creates another. What to do becomes a hard choice.

Conservation can be a challenge also because it requires people to give up some conveniences. Cars make travel easy, but they also produce a lot of air pollution. Many products can be purchased in single-serving containers that are easy to use but create a lot of extra garbage. To have cleaner air or less trash, people need to make some changes to their way of life. These changes can be difficult when people have gotten used to a certain way of living.

Money is another concern in conservation. Factories may not want to spend the money to clean up the messes they create. Timber industries may not want to take the measures needed to make sure forest animals still have homes. Sometimes wealthy groups or companies will offer money to politicians in hopes of getting them to ignore a costly problem. An oil company, for example, may support a politician who can help ensure that antipollution laws will not be enforced.

Finally, awareness is key to conservation. Sometimes a problem may seem unimportant. For instance, floating plants of the ocean may not be something about which many people think. However, fish depend on those plants for food. Pollution that kills the plants could destroy the world's marine fisheries—a major source of human food. Conservation efforts depend on people being aware of ecology—the relationships among living things.

Conservation solutions

Everyone can contribute to conservation efforts in one way or another. Industries can watch how much pollution they are creating. Farmers can practice good farming methods so that soil is not damaged. People can take a bus or train to work to limit the number of cars on the road. They can save trees and create less garbage by using both sides of a piece of paper. Governments can step in to create laws that give businesses and people rules on how to keep the environment healthy. Governments can also punish those who do not conserve, such as by giving them fines.

Many private and public groups have been created to help in the conservation effort. One of the most important in the United States is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was formed in 1970 to set standards of environmental quality. The EPA decides on standards for clean water and air and then works to make sure those standards are followed.

Conservation does not have to be looked at only as a duty to the planet and to future generations. It also can be seen as providing benefits to everyone. Conservation helps keep the natural beauty of a community. People can enjoy breathing clean air, looking at a variety of plant and animal life, and finding natural areas for recreational activities.