Environmental conservation efforts are necessary to protect estuaries. Conservation of estuaries such as the SF Bay Area are important because human impact can threaten their ecological balance and damage their ecosystem.

Human activities can harm the marine biome. For example, human activity can divert or dam rivers, so the biome does not get enough freshwater. We build bridges and housing developments into the baylands, taking away habitats there. We pollute the biome or overfish it, which affects the ecosystem.

Humans can also hurt the estuary by introducing foreign species, that push out the native species. This happens with marine life that comes from ocean cargo ships, and from non-native plant life that spreads as weeds. The SF Bay has most non-native species in the world, due to the activity of our shipping ports.

Humans can help the estuary by reversing or preventing these negative impacts. There are numerous efforts underway to save the San Francisco Bay estuary by preserving its natural biome state. These efforts include the work of non-profit volunteers and government agencies.

I recently visited with Save the Bay, a volunteer organization that helps remove non-native plants from the baylands. The photos show their efforts at the Palo Alto Badlands.

Some governmental efforts are the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, which funded by the federal government through the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, there is a state government agency called the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. Recently, Bay Area voters passed a $12 parcel tax to fund conservation efforts.