Conservation vs Preservation: Difference and Comparison

The environment is a part of the human being kind, and taking care of it is a responsibility of each of the individuals.

As everyone is not helping in the activities associated with the environment, some are taking responsibility, and these people discovered terms like conservation and preservation, but sometimes they might get confused about them while using them, so clarification was required.

Key Takeaways

1. Conservation focuses on sustainable resource use and management, while preservation aims to protect natural resources from human interference.
2. Conservation allows for controlled human activities, whereas preservation prohibits human involvement in protected areas.
3. Conservation balances economic development with environmental protection, while preservation prioritizes ecological integrity over human needs.

Conservation vs Preservation

Conservation means the act of sustainably using the resources on the earth, based on protecting resources from overexploitation for future generations. Preservation is the act of trying to save or retain a resource or element from getting damaged or extinct when it is already at risk.

Conservation refers to the act of sustainable usage of the resources provided by the earth. Sustainable here refers to the ideology where the use of any resource is done by also taking care of future generations.

They want to save the resources from overexploitation. Preservation refers to the act where people can see any resource or element of the earth damaging and getting near the stage of disappearance.

They want to preserve or save anything in the present state so that no further damage can be done by humans who can make it extinct for future generations.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Conservation	Preservation
Definition	Conservation refers to the activities associated with the sustainable usage of natural resources.	Preservation is done because the thing is already damaged and can be exhausted or gone, so they are preserved.
Main Concern	While conservation, they are concerned about not wasting the resource while using them regularly.	While preservation, the main focus is to save stuff to end with the exploitation by human use.
Motive Act	Conservation is done so that the user can be minimized, and we can save some for the next generations.	Preservation is done because the thing is already damaged and can be exhausted or gone, so they are preserved.
Main Focus	Conservation focuses on the wear and tear of the earth.	Preservation focuses on maintaining the pristine state.
Examples	Conservation mostly refers to the resources like water, petrol, coal diesel.	Preservation includes monuments, buildings, wildlife, or specific species.

What is Conservation?

Conservation refers to the act of sustainable usage of the resources provided by the earth. Sustainable here refers to the ideology where the use of any resource is done by also taking care of future generations.

So that the resources can also be saved for them and they can use them for the basic necessities of life. They want to save the resources from exploitation, which can lead to the extinction of that particular resource.

Conservation refers to the activities associated with the sustainable usage of the resources, which saves them from the wastage done by the generation just for their comfort.

While conservation, they are concerned about not wasting the resources while using them regularly. Conservation is done so that the use of them can be minimized, and we can save some for the next generations.

Conservation focuses on the wear and tear of the earth. That particularly means that you can’t just wear out all the resources and tear the earth from the core to just find some more. Conservation mostly refers to resources like water, petrol, coal, and diesel. 

What is Preservation?

Preservation refers to the act where people can see any resource or element of the earth damaging and getting near the stage of disappearance. This will lead to the complete extinction of that particular thing, and the next generations will not be able to see it.

They want to preserve or save anything in the present state so that no further damage can be done by humans who can make it extinct for future generations.

Preservation is done because the thing is already damaged by exploitation or other reasons and can be exhausted or gone, so to avoid those situations, they are preserved.

While preservation, the main focus is to save stuff to end with exploitation by human use. Preservation is done because the thing is already damaged and getting in a worse state if no further action is taken.

They can be exhausted or gone, so it is better they are preserved. Preservation focuses on maintaining the pristine state, which means no further damage is allowed to be done, so they either get better or maintained at that stage.

Preservation includes monuments, buildings, wildlife, or specific species.

Main Differences Between Conservation and Preservation

1. The difference between conservation and preservation, which is done by the environmentalist, is the focus of the act. Conservation refers to the act of sustainable usage of the resources provided by the earth. Preservation refers to the act where people can see any resource or element of the earth damaging and getting near the stage of disappearance. 
2. In conservation, they are concerned about not wasting resources while using them regularly, whereas in preservation, the main focus is to save stuff to end exploitation by human use.
3.  Conservation is done so that the user can be minimized and we can save some for our next generations, whereas Preservation is done because the thing is already damaged and can be exhausted or gone, so they are preserved.
4. Conservation mostly refers to the resources like water, petrol, coal diesel, whereas Preservation includes monuments, buildings, wildlife, or specific species.
5. Conservation is derived from the word conserve, while preservation is from the preserve.

References

1. https://www.pdcnet.org/enviroethics/content/enviroethics_1986_0008_0003_0195_0220
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23288309