The conservation of the environment is the primary objective of conservationism, a social movement in defense of ecological policies and laws whose values are biodiversity, biotic balance, among others.
Ecologists advocate the non-exploitation of nature's resources, while conservationists demand responsible and sustainable exploitation in environmental terms.
The conservation of the environment is the product of reasons of various kinds, such as:
- The preservation of genetic biodiversity is key to sustaining life on earth, in addition to that irreparable ecological damage usually has unpredictable chemical and biological repercussions, which may well threaten human health.
- Sustainable exploitation, which allows the replenishment of natural resources and does not destroy the habitat in which they are found, becomes more profitable in the long term, since they last much longer than if they are simply looted and depleted in a short time.
- There is an international legislation that defends the environment and whose obedience is considered a mandate of the nations.