Conservation of wetland ecosystems is essential not only for sustainable fresh water supply but also for preserving biodiversity and ensuring other services necessary to the health and well-being of people around the world,? FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander M?ller said at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of cooperation between the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

In practice, charge conservation is a physical law that states that the net change in the amount of electric charge in a specific volume of space is exactly equal to the net amount of charge flowing into the volume minus the amount of charge flowing out of the volume. In essence, charge conservation is an accounting relationship between the amount of charge in a region and the flow of charge into and out of that same region.

Hydrology dictates the replenishment of water supplies, though it does not follow political boundaries. This creates global issues over water rights and water resources that can potentially escalate to military confrontations. Ecological and environmental concerns also arise with the overuse of water supplies. For example, lowered surface water supplies can damage habitats for aquatic life, and the over pumping of groundwater resources can lead to land subsidence.

In January 1997, the San Antonio Water System convened a committee of community representatives to evaluate conservation programs already in place and recommend new ideas. It was a broad coalition of over 200 volunteers representing community groups, neighborhood associations, environmental groups, and business and military institutions. The consensus of the group was the fairest way to get all SAWS customers to conserve water would be to revise the rate structure to allow for lot size, reward water savers, and raise rates for those who waste water. Revised rate structures are still being worked at the present time.

Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used. It may be achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of energy services. Energy conservation may result in increase of financial capital, environmental value, national security, personal security, and human comfort. Individuals and organizations that are direct consumers of energy may want to conserve energy in order to reduce energy costs and promote economic security. Industrial and commercial users may want to increase efficiency and thus maximize profit.