National parks and reserves, international treaties, and programs designed to manage wild lands all contribute to protecting biodiversity. Yet, conservation efforts are challenged by several factors: 1) we have a limited knowledge of countless species and of the ways in which plants, animals, and microbes respond ecological change and disruption; 2) protecting lands often interferes with human activities; 3) regulating the use of land requires management both inside and outside of protected areas; 4) enforcement of international protection laws is often limited.

Each of us plays a part in saving the earth's resources for generations to come. Here are some suggestions on how you can participate.

• Protected areas are only as effective and abundant as our actions demand. Many restoration efforts require huge amounts of volunteer labor and scientific expertise. The ecological, economic, and aesthetic benefits of healthy ecosystems far exceed the costs of our involvement in ensuring their prosperity. Investigate how you can help keep your local protected lands pristine by volunteering, or supporting groups working in the field to save nature.
• Nearly 70 percent of the continental United States is privately owned by millions of individuals whose actions affect the health of larger ecosystems and watersheds. Responsible management of natural resources can conserve biodiversity and still supply us with raw materials for the things we need to live. Consider your own impacts on the ecosystem through pesticides and other lawn products. Think about ways to be eco-friendly.
• Laws and regulations are only as effective as the level of public support and funding for their enforcement and implementation. The legal tools that protect our environment present a series of opportunities for citizen involvement, with the potential for far-reaching, vital preservation of biodiversity. Vote, communicate your views, and push for stronger local and national laws.
• Biodiversity is the unexplored scientific frontier of the 21st century. The exploration of the earth's plants, animals, and microbes will require the involvement of all of us - scientists and students, adults and children. We all have a stake and a responsibility in understanding how the world works. Learn what you can do to preserve our natural heritage.
• Resource demand is driven by how many of us exist and the amount of natural resources we each use. Every day we make many decisions about what to buy. Each decision is an opportunity to use less, use again, and use more carefully. Individual actions are the daily tools of change. You can slow wasteful overconsumption by re-using things, and buying efficient, durable products to counter obsolescence. Encourage others to do the same. Rethink, reduce, reuse, and recycle.