6S Elaine Leung 25

8. Explain the concept of sustainable development and its importance for the conservation of natural resources.

Human activities have been altering the natural environment to such an extent that few natural ecosystems remain unaffected. Natural resources are subject to depletion, and environmental conditions are subject to undesirable changes. These are threatening the diversity of organisms and the quality of human life.

Sustainable development refers to the way of development, which meets the present needs without compromising the needs for a good quality of life in our future generations. To achieve sustainability, humans should minimize their impact on the environment during their activities, which include agriculture, industrialization and urbanization.

To meets the needs of the growing human population, residential places should grow upwards rather than outwards. This results in an increase in population density and spaces are saved for other purposes. This also allows energy to be ulitized more efficiently, such as the use of mass transport instead of private vehicles. Reduction on the use of motor vehicles is also very important. It can reduce the problem of air pollution, depletion of fossil fuels, and land use in urbanization.

Wetlands, meadows, marshes and mangroves are sources of beauty. They can provide habitats for wildlife, keep air fresh, remove pollutants and provide flood control. The protection of these habitats is important to the maintenance of biodiversity.

Plantation can improve air quality, moderate the climate, stabilize the soil, and restore degrading lands. Trees also provide habitats for wildlife. The natural resources of timber can also be generated for our future use.

It can help the development of conservation. Thrifty use of water and effective measures to prevent the contamination of fresh water are important for the conservation of limited water resources. And recycling of wastes helps to reduce the consumption of natural resources. For example, paper and aluminium can be used to generate power stations.

If no one promotes this development, no one will notice that it is important to do conservation. It is very important for reducing the rate of depletion of the natural resources and air pollution. It is time for us to do something for the earth that is conservation.