CONSERVATION

Conservation - a term that has never been so relevant and important as before. It is the very backbone of today's life on Earth. Of course, conservation would not be needed if it weren't for humanity.

The ever-increasing overpopulation of humans causes ever-increasing demands on resources, and this demand causes ever-decreasing biodiversity and disruption of the essential balance.

This balance is often metaphorically compared to a branch, chimney, etc., with the base of all life, such as the health of the soil, plants, fungi, to invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, up to the large megafauna of today, such as the elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, panda, etc. all the way up to the top where is the current dominant species - us. And as we learnt from the fossil record, the largest and most dominant species never survives a mass extinction event.

We can consider ourselves lucky because the current mass extinction is human-induced; therefore, we know how to fix it. For if it were a natural disaster or even an extraterrestrial catastrophe, we would be utterly helpless.

Hence, it is up to us, our species, whether we stay in the comfort of our crude and limiting intelligence or at last we evolve into the realms of wisdom.

THE UPM PROGRAM APPLIED TO CONSERVATION

Conservation first appeared at the start of the 20th century, and since then, it has become a science of its own. A science field so complicated that we are yet to grasp the actual, long-term efficiency.

Conservation is evolving fast with increasing knowledge of the Natural world, advanced technology, and new ways of thinking, we have been making a real difference in species as well as environments. However, the fact remains that the current mass extinction is still very much underway. We still lose biodiversity or the world's forests, we still pollute the water, ground and air, and most importantly, we are still increasing in numbers.

If we are to truly halt this mass extinction of today, we must stop and rethink our conservation efforts. We must focus on the urgent priorities and apply a management plan to maintain the highest efficiency.

EXAMPLES OF OVERALL GOALS;

• Stop red tapes and increase flexibility and rapidity in decision making,

• change the curriculum to bring up a new generation with environmental-aware mindset,

• convert our waste into 100% recyclability,

• maintain a healthy and balanced human population

EXAMPLES OF CONSERVATION GOALS;

• Use the full potential of zoos & aquariums,

• narrow our focus on biodiversity loss hotspots,

• use a full potential of 'umbrella species',

• stop all efforts and funds streaming into the recovery of local extinctions of otherwise common species, and preserve genetic biodiversity instead

We must understand that despite ethnicity, nationality, social status, etc, we are one species and one planet. The entire life on Earth is connected, and so we should be.

Unity holds the utmost importance in the UPM Program as each individual and organisation plays a significant part in the completion of this jigsaw puzzle of conservation success.

It must be understood that if these changes are not put in place, the collapse of life on Earth will come into effect. Human extinction included.