Conservation strategies at HL: The conservation strategies here are the same for SL and HL. What HL adds across this topic is judgement — weighing each strategy through environmental economics (costs, benefits and who pays) and the law.
Nothing extra to learn here yet — just get the main conservation strategies clear.
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🌳 Protected areas (in situ): how they increase forest cover
Big idea: Protected areas reduce deforestation by restricting land conversion and allowing forests to regenerate.
How protected areas help recovery
- Stop or reduce logging and land clearing
- Prevent conversion to agriculture/cattle ranching
- Allow secondary succession to rebuild forest cover
- Protect habitats → biodiversity can recover too
For 2 marks: give ONE clear mechanism (e.g., limits land conversion) + ONE outcome (forest regrowth / higher cover).
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⚖️ Laws & enforcement: deforestation bans and restrictions
Big idea: Forest cover can recover when clearing forests becomes illegal or strictly controlled, and rules are actually enforced.
What “effective enforcement” looks like
- Clear rules (where cutting is allowed vs banned)
- Monitoring (rangers, satellite checks, inspections)
- Penalties (fines, permits removed, prosecutions)
- Less illegal clearing → more natural regrowth over time
A law alone is not enough — enforcement determines effectiveness.
IB-style question — Evaluate a conservation measure
The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) was once distributed across Borneo. Between 1990 and 2005, Malaysia introduced a trade ban on rhino horn, established three forest reserves, and funded anti-poaching patrols. Population surveys show numbers rose from ~90 to ~170 individuals by 2005, but declined again to ~50 by 2020 after deforestation resumed. Evaluate how effective these conservation measures were. [3]
How to answer it, step by step
- Strength + weakness
• Strength: population nearly doubled (90→170) in 15 years — trade ban and patrols reduced poaching effectively.
• Weakness: numbers crashed to ~50 by 2020 as deforestation outside reserves continued; reserves were too small and fragmented. - Conclusion (required for full marks)
• Conservation measures were partially successful short-term but ultimately insufficient without protecting the wider landscape.
Final answer
Evaluate = strength + weakness + value judgement conclusion. Missing the conclusion caps you at 2 marks.
HL. HL.a: CITES Appendix I listing provides international legal backing; a trade ban alone is only effective if the international treaty (CITES) is enforced at borders.
IB-style question — Flagship vs keystone; arguments for preservation
(a) Distinguish between the roles of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) as a keystone species and as a flagship species in conservation of the Himalayan highlands. [2]
(b) State one ethical argument and one economic argument for preserving snow leopard populations. [2]
How to answer it, step by step
- Keystone vs flagship
• Keystone: apex predator that regulates prey populations, maintaining plant cover and ecosystem structure.
• Flagship: iconic species that attracts funding and public support, protecting the broader ecosystem indirectly. - Ethical + economic arguments
• Ethical: all species have intrinsic value and the right to exist (ecocentric view).
• Economic: ecotourism from leopard sightings generates income for local communities.
Final answer
For 'distinguish' you must state a difference, not just describe each role separately. Flags = appeal; keystones = ecological function.
HL. HL.c: The ethical argument links directly to ecocentric vs anthropocentric EVS debate — ecocentrics emphasise intrinsic value; technocentrics/cornucopians would stress only the economic argument.