A conservation group is deciding what land to preserve. Why might they want to consider an area of land where the ecosystem is partially damaged by a logging contract that cannot be overturned?

Question

A.  Conservation groups often focus of fixing damaged land and ecosystems.
B.  When conservation groups choose land to preserve, they just consider what is best for the one target species that is endangered.
C.  By making logging difficult, they strengthen environmentalism.
D.  Human activity often leads to the evolution of unique species that take advantage of the disrupted environment.

Additional:
Clarify Question

· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?
        
 
Gather Content

· What do you already know about conservation?

 
Choose Answer

· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
      
 
Reflect on Process

· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
      

Answer 1

A.  Conservation groups often focus of fixing damaged land and ecosystems.

Additional:
Clarify Question

· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses conservation.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to weigh and judge evidence, or evaluate, to choose the best of the possible answers.
 
Gather Content

· What do you already know about conservation?
        o Historically, conservationists strived to solve the problems of habitat fragmentation by focusing solely on preserving as much land as possible in a pristine state. Increasingly, however, it has become apparent that the amount of land that can be preserved in such a state is limited; moreover, many areas that are not completely protected nonetheless provide suitable habitat for many species.
        o As a result, conservation plans are becoming multidimensional, including not only pristine areas, but also surrounding areas in which some level of human disturbance is permitted. Isolated patches of habitat lose species far more rapidly than large preserves do. By including these other, less pristine areas, the total amount of area available for many species is increased.
        o The key to managing such large tracts of land successfully over a long time is to operate them in a way compatible with local land use. For example, although no economic activity is allowed in the core pristine area, the remainder of the land may be used for nondestructive harvesting of resources. Even areas in which hunting of some species is allowed provide protection for many other species.
 
Choose Answer

· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Even disturbed land can help support some species, especially if it can act as a corridor to connect other pristine areas.
 
Reflect on Process

· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o The question required you to weigh and judge evidence, or evaluate, to choose the best of the possible answers.
        o Did you recognize that sometimes the size of a habitat is more important than keeping it totally pristine?