conservation

Conservation biology is the science of analyzing and preserving existing biological diversity. Restoration ecology is the science of recovering degraded, damaged or destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention. The main philosophical difference can be framed simply as “conserving what is left” by establishing protected areas versus “restoring what once was” by creating natural areas.

Given the complementary nature of restoration and conservation, an ecosystem approach offers us the most effective toolbox for combating the loss of biodiversity and the ecological services that are so vital to human well-being.

The Natural Land Institute (NLI) is a member supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to land and natural diversity for future generations. Since 1958, NLI has protected, managed, and restored more than twelve thousand acres throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Although the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is not in danger of extinction, its unique multigenerational migration spanning the continent is considered an endangered biological phenomenon due to threats to the monarch's habitats throughout the flyway. Because monarchs depend upon a wide range of habitats in Canada, Mexico and the United States, conservation of the migratory phenomenon requires trilateral cooperation.

"There must be some force behind conservation more universal than profit, less awkward than government ... something that reaches onto all time and place where men live on the lands ... A voluntary decency in land use exercised by every citizen and landowner out of a sense of love and obligation to that great biota we call America. This is the meaning of conservation ..." Aldo Leopold

Chicago Botanic Garden to break ground on $50 million conservation center. The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe is known for its knockout landscapes and blooms, but it's more than just a pretty face.

A collections of books, articles, and references on the science of conservation as it pertains to prairie, savanna, and sedge meadow ecosystems.