Reasons for protection of rainforests
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| SA. Entrance to the walk and
Visitor's Centre |
Minnamurra Rainforest exists as part of Budderoo National Park because
the Government of NSW decided that it was worth protecting. As a
result, money and resources have been set aside to put this protection
into action. Later we will see how, prior to this action to protect
the ecosystem, it was an ecosystem at risk because of uncontrolled
use.
So why do we protect ecosystems? There are five main reasons,
and in the case of Minnamurra all of these reasons apply. As we
move through the rainforest you might like to think about the
reasons and what you can see in front of you. We protect ecosystems
to:
- Maintain genetic diversity, in other words, to keep
as many species, and the variety within those species. Maintaining
ecosystems like Minnamurra, can preserve genetic material from
plants and animals that in some cases we do not even know exist
yet.
- Maintain utility values: This means that we are keeping
ecosystems for sustainable uses such as scientific research,
medical applications, sources of food and new materials, natural
pest control, tourism and recreation.
- Maintain intrinsic values: This means to protect the
ecosystem because of what it is, such as the way it looks, or
because it represents something important to some people or
just because we would like to keep the environment as it is.
Sometimes intrinsic values are best experienced when you see
the spectacular sites of an ecosystem and realise that it needs
to be preserved just for the "oh wow, look at that" value.
- Maintain heritage values, where the ecosystem itself
is valued either for its past or present value to society. For
example, if a site has had past spiritual meaning for one group,
the heritage value might be to protect the site for its past
significance, or it could have contemporary significance. Some
sites, like rainforests, have heritage value because there are
fewer and fewer of them every day and we wish to pass the rainforest
heritage on to future generations. World Heritage Sites are
examples of sites, including ecosystems, protected by a convention
signed by 146 countries, which aims to look after these sites
on behalf of the world community, not just one nation. National/World Heritage Sites@UNESCO
- Allow natural change to proceed: This relates to allowing
a continuation of the natural processes that take place in nature,
such as the operation and interaction of the four spheres in
an ecosystem. Over time, small changes take place in all ecosystems
that are part of nature, and for all the reasons above we need
to allow this change to go ahead undisturbed, being neither
slowed down nor sped up.
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