When we speak about conserving nature, we are literally talking about taking care of our future, because we all know that nature provides essential resources for our survival and enjoyment. Now a days we all are busy in our lives that we often forgot how much humans depend on nature. Even city-dwellers living in modern towns need air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat, all of which are provided by nature. Some fruits and vegetables, for example, only grow in tropical countries and cross the globe in refrigerated ship containers, to arrive just ripe to your local supermarket. All drinking water comes from natural sources, since we still do not have the technology to manufacture on its own or in laboratory. The same applies to the air we breathe, which is purified and oxygenated by plants. So, when we speak about preserving nature, we are really talking about preserving ourselves.
Our nature encompasses the natural environment as a whole. biodiversity is ultimately responsible for all the services we receive from nature, which are also called Ecosystem Services. For example, forests containing many different bee species provide pollination services to nearby crop fields. In places where natural forests have been cut down, beekeepers must bring in artificial beehives to guarantee that enough pollinators visit crop flowers to produce fruit. Other wild organisms, like wasps and birds, act as pest-control agents for agricultural crops, reducing the population of pests that damage those crops, and resulting in higher crop yields.
Now we might be thinking that we already knew about this, and there is not much you can do to to preserve the nature but even if you live in big city, far away from oxygen-producing forests, natural water springs or crop fields. But your daily actions can have a strong impact on these natural resources. Traveling in a vehicle powered by fossil fuels contributes to air pollution and climate change. Spilling a single drop of cooking oil while cleaning the dishes contaminates a million drops of water.
We all can practice some important actions to help conserve nature, to preserve our own well-being, and to guarantee that natural resources are available for future generations. International groups of scientists, working on various environmental issues, provided ideas what we can do to help conserve nature. Those ideas were grouped into three main categories: 1. Actions to reduce our ecological footprint; 2. Actions to conserve nature; 3. Actions to connect with nature.
REDUCE OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT:
Reducing our ecological footprint means placing less demand on nature and talking about 3Rs- reduce, reuse and recycle. Listed down are some ways how we can do this:
- Recycle your rubbish and participate in or help organize recycling campaigns.
- Avoid littering and participate in or help organize litter clean-ups.
- Use less plastic by, for example, carrying a reusable water bottle, saying no to disposable straws and cutlery, avoiding plastic toys, and bringing your own shopping bags.
- Swap toys, movies, and books instead of buying new ones.
- Donate, recycle, and repair electronic devices.
- Use less water when brushing teeth, taking a shower, or washing the dishes.
- Use less electricity by turning off lights and electronic devices when not in use, using energy-saving light bulbs, and hanging clothes to dry.
- Use public transport, share a journey with friends (e.g., car-sharing), cycle, or walk when possible.
- Use less paper by not printing unnecessary things and reading e-books.
- Turn down the air conditioning when it is hot and use fans if you are still hot-they use much less power.
- Turn down the heat when it is cold and use sweaters, blankets, and socks to keep warm.
- Do not waste food and try to buy food that is grown locally and in season.
- Eat more non-meat proteins (like beans), less dairy, more vegetables, and more organic food when possible.
- Buy products that do not cause damage to the environment and that have certified labels.
- Refuse to buy what you do not need, because every item you do not buy reduces the demand for the production of that item. For example, if everyone stopped buying plastic bags, super markets would stop selling them.
Conserving nature means to protect, preserve and restore biodiversity. Here are some ways though which we can do this.
- Try to prevent your pets from killing/harming wildlife.
- Do not touch or take home wild animals or plant.
- Plant native wildflowers, fruit trees, and pollinator-friendly plants in your garden or yard.
- Make compost to improve soil quality and to help insects.
- Build and place bat houses, bird houses, and “bee hotels” in your garden, school grounds, and local green spaces.
- Do not buy/keep wild pets at home (such as parrots, song birds, wild cats, or reptiles), in order to avoid supporting illegal trafficking of animal.
- Be aware of wild animals crossing the road and respect their paths.
CONNECT WITH NATURE:
Connecting with nature means setting aside time to interact with the natural environment. Listed down are some ways through which we can do that:
- Play outside and spend more time in nature.
- Organize trips to explore the national parks/nature reserves close to you.
- Join conservation programs or Eco-clubs.
- Participate in nature-focused citizen science initiatives.
- Use books or apps to identify the plants and animals around you.
- Play games to learn more about nature.
Understanding the importance of nature and biodiversity for our own well-being can really help us to help nature. We should practice all these ideas in our daily lives to preserve the nature. “It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.”