Conservation of biodiversity is essential for maintaining the ecological balance, ensuring sustainable ecosystems, and supporting human livelihoods. It requires strategies that protect species, populations, and habitats from extinction, genetic erosion, and environmental degradation. Two fundamental approaches — in situ conservation and ex situ conservation — form the cornerstone of contemporary biodiversity management. In situ conservation focuses on protecting species in their natural habitats, allowing them to continue their ecological interactions, evolutionary processes, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. This approach preserves not only individual species but also entire ecosystems, maintaining critical ecosystem services such as soil fertility, water regulation, and carbon sequestration. Ex situ conservation, in contrast, safeguards species outside their natural environments, in controlled settings such as seed banks, botanical gardens, or zoological facilities. This approach provides an “insurance policy” against extinction, enabling species survival when natural habitats are threatened. Together, these complementary strategies provide a holistic framework for conserving global biodiversity effectively.
Sabina Jafarzadeh (Mon,) studied this question.