In situ Conservation

In situ conservation is the process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat, either by protecting or cleaning up the habitat itself or by defending the species from the predators.

Wild life and livestock conservation is mostly based on in situ conservation.

Eg: biosphere reserves, national parks

National Parks

In 1969 the IUCN declared a national park to be a relativelylarge area with the following characteristics.

One or several ecosystems not materially altered by humanexploitation and occupation, where plant and animal species,geomorphological sites and habitats are of special scientific,educational and recreational interest or which contain anatural landscape of great beauty.

Visitors are allowed to enter, under special conditions, forinspirational, educative, cultural, and recreative purposes.

Biosphere Reserves

A biosphere reserve is an area proposed by itsresidents, ratified by a national committee anddesignated by UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MBA)program, which demonstrates innovative approachesto living and working in harmony with nature.

The term ‘biosphere’ refers to all of the land, waterand atmosphere that supply life on earth.

The word ‘reserve’ means that it is a special arearecognized for balancing conservation withsustainable use.

Ex situ Conservation

Ex situ conservation means literally, “off-siteconservation”.

It is the process of protecting an endangeredspecies of plant or animal outside its naturalhabitat.

While ex situ conservation comprises some of theoldest and best known conservation methods, italso involves newer, sometimes controversiallaboratory methods.

Eg: gene banks, zoo

Gene Banks

Gene banks are a type of biorespository whichpreserve genetic material.

For plants, this could be by freezing cuttingsfrom the plant or stocking the seeds (eg. In aseed bank)

For animals, this is the freezing of sperm andeggs in zoological freezers until further need.

Advantage of Ex situ Conservation

• Efficient and reproducible

• Feasible for medium and long term secure storage

• Wide diversity of each target taxonomy conserved

• Easy access for characterization, evaluation and utilization

• Little maintenance