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Conservation Actions

Note: Emphasized words can be found in the Glossary.

There are many ways conservation biologists are addressing the extinction crisis. These include:

• Establishing protected areas where wildlife habitat is preserved or restored;
  
• Developing new ways to farm, log, and graze livestock, that preserve habitat values;
  
• Educating citizens about the importance of conserving wildlife and things they can do to help wildlife and the environment in general;
  
• Encouraging changes in production and consumption that foster resource conservation and reduce waste and pollution, through legal or economic incentives;
  
• Enacting and enforcing laws and international treaties that regulate exploitation of wildlife and wildlife trade;
  
• Establishing captive breeding programs for species whose populations have been so depleted that they need human help to increase their numbers and genetic diversity;
  
• Providing alternatives to local people who are dependent on wildlife and forests for food and fuel;
  
• Encouraging family planning to reduce human population growth.