Which statement describes a benefit of national parks for species conservation?

Which statement describes a benefit of national parks for species conservation?

• A. National parks help reduce climate change by preserving natural resources.
• B. National parks create large areas of uninterrupted wilderness to support wildlife.
• C. National parks decrease biodiversity by limiting species to a specific location.
• D. National parks help improve domestic travel and the economy.

Answer: (B)

Protecting large, intact habitats is essential for conserving wildlife. When species have expansive, undisturbed spaces, they can roam to find food, mates, and seasonal resources, maintain healthy population sizes, and keep genetic diversity through natural movement and interbreeding. Large, connected habitats also reduce edge effects and habitat fragmentation, which can isolate populations and threaten their survival. This option aligns best with how protected areas support species conservation because national parks create sizeable areas of uninterrupted wilderness that give wildlife the space and condition they need to thrive. The other statements miss the mark: protecting parks isn’t primarily about stopping climate change, even though habitat protection can contribute to carbon storage; claiming that biodiversity would decrease under protection contradicts how intact habitats support more, not fewer, species; and improving travel or the economy, while true in other ways, isn’t a direct mechanism for conserving species.

Protecting large, intact habitats is essential for conserving wildlife. When species have expansive, undisturbed spaces, they can roam to find food, mates, and seasonal resources, maintain healthy population sizes, and keep genetic diversity through natural movement and interbreeding. Large, connected habitats also reduce edge effects and habitat fragmentation, which can isolate populations and threaten their survival.

This option aligns best with how protected areas support species conservation because national parks create sizeable areas of uninterrupted wilderness that give wildlife the space and condition they need to thrive. The other statements miss the mark: protecting parks isn’t primarily about stopping climate change, even though habitat protection can contribute to carbon storage; claiming that biodiversity would decrease under protection contradicts how intact habitats support more, not fewer, species; and improving travel or the economy, while true in other ways, isn’t a direct mechanism for conserving species.