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Benefits Of Natural Heritage Conservation For The Health Of The People, Environment And Economic Development

Satisfactory Essays

The World Heritage Convention was set up in 1972 to protect and maintain natural heritage. There has been a significant rise in the interest in natural heritage values in the past 100 years which has resulted in a number of officially protected areas of conservation. There is a general expectation that natural heritage conservation actions should also benefit human well-being and contribute to poverty alleviation. This paper will examine whether or not these are realistic expectations or simply ideas written on paper. Dr Will Turner, the Vice President for Conservation International states: “conserving the world’s remaining biodiversity isn’t just a moral imperative; it is a necessary investment for lasting economic development. But in many places where the poor depend on these natural services, we are dangerously close to exhausting them, resulting in lasting poverty.” It is evident that conserving natural heritage is essential to the health of the people, environment and economic development. Today the establishment of protected areas is one of the principle tools used by the global community to conserve geodiversity and biodiversity. If managed correctly biodiversity, particularly urban biodiversity, can contribute to poverty reduction and human well-being. If managed poorly, air, water and soil pollution can occur and increased costs of living charges may occur. Therefore the expectation that natural heritage conservation benefits human well-being is true, considering

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