ABSTRACT

A dilemma that has faced conservationists for a long time is whether to focus on the conservation of species or of ecosystems. Initially much focus was given to endangered species and Red Data Books (Lucas and Synge, 1978). Recently the focus has definitely been more on ecosystems, and this has been strongly reinforced in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) drafted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Ecosystem conservation is, of necessity, in situ, whereas species conservation can be carried out either in situ or ex situ depending upon the circumstances. Ex situ conservation is certainly useful and has saved a good number of species from extinction, but conservationists today favor the habitat approach whenever possible. The principal reasons why this is preferable are that the ecosystem approach conserves groups of interacting species, allows the process of evolution and adaptation to change, and often enables the protection of viable population sizes. Any strategy for in situ conservation will want to ensure that these processes continue. The ecosystem approach to conservation requires sensitivity to human activities in the area to be conserved. A balance between conservation and sustainable uses is required but not always easy to achieve.