🌿 In situ conservation (in the wild)
Big Idea: In situ conservation is like keeping a team in its home stadium—everything they need is already there: food webs, shelter, climate, and interactions with other species.
What does in situ conservation include?
- Protected areas (national parks, nature reserves, marine protected areas)
- Habitat restoration (replanting native species, restoring wetlands, removing pollution)
- Wildlife corridors to connect habitats (safe movement between areas)
- Laws and enforcement (hunting bans, fishing limits, trade controls)
In situ protects the whole ecosystem, not just one species.
✅ Why in situ conservation works well
In situ conservation keeps species in the conditions they evolved for, so populations can function naturally.
- Protects food webs and ecosystem processes (pollination, decomposition, nutrient cycling)
- Keeps genetic diversity higher because populations are larger
- Allows natural selection and adaptation to continue
- Often protects many species at once (habitat-based conservation)
When in situ is difficult
- Habitat is already destroyed or fragmented
- Ongoing threats are hard to control (poaching, invasive species, pollution)
- Climate change shifts conditions faster than species can adapt
- Conflict with humans (farming, roads, urban growth)
In evaluation questions, say: In situ is best long-term, but may fail if threats cannot be reduced or habitat no longer supports the species.
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🛠️ In situ tools (easy exam points)
- Protected areas + zonation (core zone, buffer zone, transition zone)
- Anti-poaching enforcement (patrols, penalties, monitoring)
- Sustainable harvesting (quotas, closed seasons, size limits)
- Community-based conservation (local people benefit → support protection)
- Eradication/control of invasive species
If a question asks for "methods", list 2–3 specific tools + explain how each reduces a threat.
📝 Exam tips: in situ (what examiners reward)
Fast marks (Paper 1 / short answers): For 2–3 marks: give the definition + one example + one reason it helps biodiversity.
- Define in situ clearly (in the natural habitat).
- Name one tool: protected area / restoration / corridor / enforcement.
- Link to an outcome: higher survival, reproduction, gene flow, resilience.
Top-band evaluation (Paper 2, 7–9 marks): To reach top marks you must do more than list pros/cons. Add conditions (habitat quality + threat control) and finish with a judgement.
- 1. Start with 1-line definition (no long intro).
- 2. State why it’s preferred long-term (ecosystems + interactions).
- 3. Evaluate limits (enforcement, fragmentation, climate change).
- 4. Add one design point (core/buffer zones or corridors for gene flow).
- 5. Conclude: best when threats reduced; often combined with ex situ backup.