Renewable Resources & Ecological Reserves: Conservation

Self-Regulation of Renewable Natural Resources

The regulatory mechanisms of renewable resources dictate the future of an ecosystem. Some individuals die, while others are born. Predation, a key component of food chains, helps maintain this balance. All living beings are interconnected and depend on each other. A food chain illustrates the nature of these food dependency relationships.

Understanding Food Chains

During photosynthesis, plants produce their own food and store reserve substances in parts like fruits, stems, roots, or seeds. Organisms that do not engage in photosynthesis require these supplies of food energy, either directly from plants or transferred through a series of organisms.

The relationship in a food chain is simple: one organism devours another, which in turn may be eaten by another, and so on. This act of transferring chemical energy from its place of manufacture in green plants through a series of individuals, where each one devours the one before it, is known as a food chain.

Food chains are composed of links. The first link in a food chain is green plants, i.e., those producing food. From there, food energy is transferred through a series of organisms. Nuclear fusion, the energy derived from the fusion of atomic nuclei, is a long-term hope for a safe and almost infinite power supply.

Ecological Reserves: Protecting Natural Areas

An ecological reserve is a natural area, either virgin or semi-virgin, in which a large number of animal and plant species coexist along with abiotic factors such as water, soil, and sunlight. The role of an ecological reserve is to protect a natural area in its original state to maintain its unmodified condition.

Examples of Ecological Reserves

Many ecological reserves exist, including:

• Shark Island in Sonora
• Calakmul in Quintana Roo
• Centla Swamps Biosphere Reserve in Tabasco

National parks and nature reserves are areas identified by governments or private organizations for special protection against deterioration and environmental degradation. Selection criteria vary, ranging from the natural beauty of the surroundings to the scientific interest of the region. Preservation of habitats for protected or endangered species and consideration of a region as part of a country's cultural heritage are also important factors. In some cases, the need to provide the public with a recreational site is also taken into account.

The Importance of National Parks

Many national parks serve multiple purposes, including conservation of areas of special beauty, creation of recreation areas, protection of flora and fauna threatened with extinction, and promotion of scientific research. They are essentially natural reserves, a term designating a wide range of protected areas for the conservation of rare animal species, flora, and the environment in its entirety. National parks and nature reserves are often state-owned, although private organizations, charities, and animal welfare groups may also be responsible for their administration.