ABSTRACT
'Conservation' becomes an attitude towards stability on the continental and global scales in terms of ecosystem development. Those actions which tend to or seem likely to produce instability are seen as anti-conservative, whereas those which preserve or enhance stability are seen as part of the conservation effort. Many of the conversions of system type produce one kind of result in the extinction of species of plants and animals either by direct extirpation or by alterations of habitats. The extinction of plants must not be forgotten. Habitat changes have ousted populations of many plants and, as with animals, island floras have been particularly susceptible to introduced herbivores like goats and sheep. The destabilizing effects of human activity affect the world mosaic of ecosystems via several environments. At one end of a continuous spectrum of protected ecosystems are the reserves for the perpetuation of a single species of plant or animal.
