Key Idea: Most marks in topic 3.3 come from reserve design and conservation choices. Learn those first, then species and habitat-based strategies.
1. Reserve design (most marks)
- Large reserves hold more species and bigger populations than small ones.
- A round shape has less edge, so fewer edge effects reach the core.
- Corridors link reserves, so animals can move and breed between them.
- A buffer zone around the core keeps farms, roads and towns at a distance.
2. Species or habitat?
- Species-based (ex situ): zoos, captive breeding, seed banks.
- Habitat-based (in situ): protect the whole ecosystem, so many species are saved at once.
- A flagship species attracts money; a keystone species holds the ecosystem together.
- A mixed approach protects the habitat and gives extra help to one species.
3. Values and choices
- Why preserve: aesthetic, ecological, economic, ethical and social reasons.
- Different values lead to different choices, such as protecting wild land or using it for jobs.
- Rewilding lets natural processes return, such as wolves in Yellowstone.
- The Convention on Biological Diversity sets targets such as protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.
How it is examined:
| Question | How to score |
|---|---|
| [1] to [2] Identify a design feature from a map | Name the feature and say what it does. |
| [2] to [4] Explain how a reserve's design helps | Size, shape, edge, corridors, buffer zone: one point each. |
| [2] Distinguish flagship and keystone species | One line for each, with an example. |
| [4] to [7] Explain habitat or species-based strategies | Name the strategy, then its effect, with an example. |
| [9] Discuss a conservation choice | Values on both sides, named examples, then a judgement. |
Key terms, one line each:
| Term | In one line |
|---|---|
| In situ conservation | protecting a species in its natural habitat |
| Ex situ conservation | protecting a species away from its habitat, such as in a zoo or seed bank |
| Edge effect | changes near the border of a habitat, such as more light, wind and predators |
| Wildlife corridor | a strip of habitat linking two protected areas |
| Flagship species | a well-loved species used to raise money and support |
| Keystone species | a species with a very large effect on its ecosystem |
| Rewilding | restoring an area so natural processes run it again |
Last-minute check: answer, then tap to see.
Why is a large reserve better than a small one? It holds more species and bigger populations.
Why is a round reserve better than a long thin one? Less edge, so fewer edge effects reach the core.
What does a corridor do? Lets animals move between reserves, so small groups can breed together.
Flagship or keystone: the giant panda? Flagship: it attracts money and support.
Give one strength of habitat-based conservation. It protects many species at once, with their food and shelter.
A government plans a new forest reserve to protect a rare monkey. Explain how the design of the reserve could help the monkey survive.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Exam tips
- For a reserve map, name the feature and say what it does for the species.
- Say whether a strategy is species-based or habitat-based, with a named example.
- In a discuss, give both sides, then a judgement.
- Learn one flagship and one keystone species, with one fact each.