Conservation and preservation are both methods that are very much necessary to safeguard the future of certain vital phenomena of the world such as the environment, natural energies among other things. However, sometimes these two words have been seen to be used interchangeably which should not be the case since the is a difference between conservation and preservation.
What is Conservation?
Conservation is the term used in the preservation of especially the natural environment, resources, and wildlife habitat. A conservation area would mean an area containing a noteworthy environment that is specially protected by law against undesirable changes that would harm that environment.
Terms such as conservation of energy, conservation of mass or conservation of momentum are also in wide use today. One of the most important principles used in Physics regarding conservation of energy is that the total quantity of energy of any system not subject to external action remains constant, despite internal changes (such as chemical reactions or physical transformations).
A supporter or an advocate of environmental conservation is called a conservationist while the term environmentalist is also used for the purpose. Conservation is the term used in the sense of preservation for the future. Consider the usage of the term conservation of water. It only means that water is conserved for future use. Conservation of water is the primary function of the government in the state of Arizona in the United States because it is a desert area.
What is Preservation?
Preservation, on the other hand, is the act of keeping an object safe and free from harm or decay. A common example of this is the act of keeping a palm leaf manuscript in good condition in a library. Preservation of an object calls for trying to maintain the quality or the condition of an object. Preservation of artifacts and archives are quite commonly seen in museums.
There are various kinds of preservation such as historic preservation, textile preservation, survey preservation and the like. Historic preservation is a professional approach to preserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historic significance.
Textile preservation refers to the processes by which textiles are cared and maintained to be preserved from future damage. There are other fields of preservation such as library preservation and art preservation too. Preservation surveys are surveys that involve collecting and analyzing data about the physical condition of the materials available in the libraries.
What is the difference between Conservation and Preservation?
• Conservation is the protection, preservation or careful management of the environment and natural resources such as forests, wildlife, soil, and water.
Example:
Preservation of natural resources for the future
Soil conservation – protection of soil against erosion or deterioration
Water conservation – the conservation of water resources
In Physics
Conservation of momentum – the principle is that the total linear momentum in a closed system is constant and is not affected by processes occurring inside the system.
• Preservation is the act of keeping safe or free from harm or decay: protect or prevent.
Example
Food preservation – protect food from decaying or spoiling.
Embalmment – is the preservation of a dead body by treating with balsams and drugs and other chemicals.
(to preserve organic bodies, preservatives are used.)
• Conservation is to spend or use sparingly. Preservation stands for maintaining or keeping what is already existing.
Posted by