National ecosystem reserves: key to success in nature conservation

Abstract

Earlier efforts in nature conservation often focussed attention on particular species, in particular the more attractive larger animals. Long experience with this approach has shown that it has several inadequacies and reflects some basic flaws. The success of attempts at protecting particular species in their native habitats has been proportional to the success in preserving the habitats qualitatively and quantitatively. In other words, preservation of a particular species demands an understanding of its ecological requirements. In some cases, the "transplanting" of animal species to an ecologically equivalent or similar habitat is successful, although many of the specific components of this different habitat may be unlike the former habitat. However, most such attempts require an input of human care, food, management, or other artificial and sometimes expensive compensations for the environmental change. If nature conservation is to succeed with minimum effort and expense it must be based on self-sufficient natural ecosystems. It follows that a judicious choice, based on a careful analysis of each region's con- stituent ecosystems, is required. Depending upon methods designed for single- species preservation is unsatisfactory and misleading unless the normal habitat for that species is guaranteed, not only in terms of quality, but in extent or di- mension.