Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
A lot of people are involved with nature conservation, taking care of the plants and
animals which share the planet. Until the beginning of the 20th century, people thought
we could conserve nature by looking after individual species by putting wild animals in
zoos, or plants in botanical gardens. Now we understand that we need to conserve whole
habitats, the places where these plants and animals live.
Polar bears may be able to survive as individual animals in concrete pools in Zoos. But to
conserve the species properly they each need hundreds of square kilometers of Arctic
landscape where they can hunt in seas free from pollution and roam across snowfields
that are not disturbed by people. Nearer home, hedgehogs need a whole neighbourhood to
live in, with quiet leafy corners for hibernation, and plenty of undergrowth where they
can hunt for slugs and worms, without any danger of eating poisonous chemicals.
We can grow primroses in plant pots, but to conserve these wildflowers properly, we
need to conserve the woodlands where they grow naturally. Nature reserves are important
for providing a safe environment for wildlife, but nature conservation can take place
anywhere.
Lots of people are creating new habitats such as ponds and wildflower meadows, in
gardens and school grounds. In fact some species thrive best in special artificial habitats.
Many starlings, for instance, spend the cold winter nights roosting on the windowsills of
centrally heated office blocks in towns, and then feed all day on the grubs and worms that
live in the soil beneath school playing fields, sports pitches and parks. Most of the
wildflowers we call weeds can survive only if a farmer or a gardener cultivates the soil
and accidentally makes a new seed bed for them each year.
1a What do you think is meant by nature conservation? 2
1b A zoo or a botanical garden is not a suitable place for many species to survive. Which are
these species? Say why it is difficult for them to survive. 4
1c Name some species that survive most successfully in artificial habitats. How do they
survive?
Answers
1a) nature conservation is protecting the various species of flora and fauna and the environment in its pristine form.
1b) Zopa and botanical gardens are not solution to conserve all species. The following ones cannot survive in zoos and botanical garden:
1. Polar bears as each of them needs hundreds of square km of artic landscape free from pollution and human inteference.
2. Hedgehogs as they need leafy corners for hibernation and undergrowths for hunting free from toxic chemicals.
3. to conserve wildflowers we conserve the woodlands in which they grow naturally
1c) Species that survive best in artificial habitats:
1. Sterling at night they obtain warmth from windowsills of centrally located office blocks and at daytime they hunt worms in school gardens.
2. Wildflowers which we refer to as weeds survive only when the gardener cultivates the soil and accidentally makes a new seed bed every year