1. Why Can Resources Be Conserved?
Chapter 14 Key Issue 4
Why Can Resources Be Conserved?

2. Sustainable Development
According to the United Nations, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Preservation is the maintenance of resources in their present condition, whereas conservation is the sustainable use and management of natural resources.
Sustainable development advocates the limited use of renewable resources so that the environment can supply them indefinitely.
Some critics, such as the World Wildlife Fund, argue that the world surpassed its sustainable level around 1980.

3. Biodiversity
Closely related to sustainable development is biodiversity, which refers to the variety of plant and animal species across the Earth’s surface or in a specific place.
When biodiversity is protected, sustainable development is promoted.
More than one-half of the Earth’s species are located in tropical forests, and the main cause of high rates of species extinction is rapid deforestation.