Conservation

What is conservation? 1. Conservation – the wise use of natural resources to prevent them from being used up. - also maintains the balance of ecosystems - very important for ecosystems 2. Some things that we conserve: - water, soil, forests, fossil fuels, habitat

3. Composting – a way to conserve natural resources - recycling food wastes - food waste becomes fertilizer for soil - people compost their garbage - prevents waste building up in landfills

Reusing – reuse items over and over, instead of throwing them out - help conserve natural resources

Recycling – using a waste material in a new product - Glass, aluminum and iron waste can be melted down - waste paper can be made into new paper and save trees - recycling saves energy and natural resources

Soil conservation – conserving soil - soil takes a long time to be created but can be easily worn away (eroded)

Biodiversity – total variety of living things in an environment - more variety in an ecosystem = stronger, healthy ecosystem Extinct species – species that have disappeared from the Earth Endangered species – organisms in danger of becoming extinct

Loss of Habitat – main threat to wildlife - cutting down trees, destroying ecosystems Deforestation – cutting and clearing of forests - used to create farmland or areas of human use

Exit slip questions The total variety of living things in an environment is called ____________________. To ______________ is to reprocess a waste material for use in a new product.