Sustainability and conservation
People have a big impact on the environment around them through the choices they make every day. We can help care for nature by looking after plants and animals and using resources wisely. By making good choices, we can protect the environment for the future.
People use the words ‘sustainability’ and ‘conservation’ to talk about the environment, but what do these two words really mean? What is the difference between ‘sustainability’ and ‘conservation’ and what do their meanings have in common?
Conservation – protecting nature
The word ‘conservation’ is often used to talk about protecting nature. For example, at Centennial Park, the colony of flying foxes that lives in Lachlan Swamp is seen as an important part of the natural environment. People take action to protect the flying foxes and this is a type of ‘conservation’.
[Image: flying fox colony in Centennial Park]
The following actions are taken to conserve the flying fox colony:
- A fenced area of Lachlan Swamp to keep people out to help protect the habitat of the flying fox colony
- Protecting the trees in Lachlan Swamp and planting native trees in Centennial Park
- Every 3 months, volunteers help to count the flying foxes in the colony to monitor the health of the colony
- Rescued flying foxes are slowly introduced to the colony to make sure they have a place to live with other flying foxes
Sustainability – balancing human activity with protecting the environment
The word ‘sustainability’ is used to talk about humans having the ability to live a good life while protecting the environment for the future. For example, Centennial Park, has thousands of visitors every week who use the park for fitness and fun, which is very important for their wellbeing. With lots of visitors, there comes lots of waste. Part of managing Centennial Park includes the removal of rubbish left behind by visitors. Other types of waste include dog poo, horse manure (poo), and human waste which is flushed away in the toilets.
Imagine if everyone who visited Centennial Park had nowhere to put their rubbish and didn’t take their rubbish home with them. The park would become very messy very quickly with lots of litter everywhere, and this would not be very sustainable!
[Image: rubbish on ground. Image credit: John Turbill/DCCEEW
109785]
To make sure Centennial Park is cared for in a sustainable way, the following actions are taken to manage waste:
- Bins are placed near picnic areas to make sure rubbish is not left around the park
- 120 recycling bins for bottles and cans to be recycled
- 220 rubbish bins for non-recyclable waste
- Workers keep Centennial Park clean and pick up any rubbish that is not taken home or placed in the bins
[Image: rubbish bins in Centennial Park]
Activities
Categorise actions as sustainable or not sustainable
Working with a partner, label the following actions as ‘sustainable’ or ‘not sustainable’:
Using a re-fillable water bottle
Buying vegetables in plastic packaging
Leaving an air-conditioner on all the time
Riding a bike to school
- Think of 4 more actions that can be labelled as ‘sustainable’ or ‘not sustainable’ and write them down.
- Find another pair and test out the statements on them.
- Discuss with your partner and the other pair of students why you think each of the statements is ‘sustainable’ or ‘not sustainable’
Create an action plan to conserve an area of nature
- Visit an area of nature within the school grounds or at a local park. Discuss some of the natural features. For example, plants, birds, animals, insects, logs and rocks.
As a class, discuss the following questions:
Are there any threats to the area of nature?
What can be done to protect the area of nature?
Make a list of ideas and create an action plan to conserve the area of nature.
How could you communicate the actions to other people to make sure everyone works together to conserve the area of nature?
Images 1, 2 & 4: Greater Sydney Parklands
Image 3: Litter in Bongil Bongil National Park, south of Coffs Harbour. Image credit: John Turbill/DCCEEW 109785. Source: https://images.environment.nsw.gov.au