Modern technology has given us the tools to exploit the earths natural resources as never before. The material benefits have been enormous, but the environmental costs have been high. We have built roads and reservoirs, drained marshes, and bulldozed woodlands. Yet in doing this we are little by little eliminating the diversity and richness of the land and reducing the options for future choice.
There are many reasons for conserving wildlife. It is necessary for the maintenance of genetic diversity; plants and animals act as environmental indicators, they provide the natural materials for food and medicine; wildlife is pleasing to all and it provides amenity.
All living organisms are interrelated; all crops and domestic animals descend from wildlife and all depend on wild species directly or indirectly. All green plants and all animals (including humans) rely on micro-organisms cycling the chemical elements necessary for life, while many plants also depend on insects and other animals for fertilisation and dispersal. Together all organisms resemble a living body with each part dependent upon others. We do not know what the effect of losing any of these species would be.
Children are main users of natural spaces, even very small spaces near their homes. There is a real risk that children lose what they need for mental, physical and social development when places are tidied up by adults. Since children and wildlife often value the same features and details, what damages the interests of one will affect those of the other.
(Source: www.wildberks.co.uk/faqs2.htm)
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