A-Level Biology May/June 2025 Q10(b): Some seal species are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Speci…

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  To conserve endangered seal species, a combination of strategies can be employed:

  1. Captive breeding programmes: These can be established to increase the population size in a protected environment. The offspring can then be reintroduced into the wild to boost wild population numbers and genetic diversity.

  2. Creation of marine reserves: Designating specific areas of the ocean as protected zones where activities like fishing, shipping, and pollution are restricted or banned. This conserves the seals' habitat, breeding grounds, and food sources.

  3. Legal protection: Implementing and enforcing national and international laws that ban the hunting of seals and the trade of their products. This directly reduces mortality caused by human exploitation.

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  How the marks are awarded

  • MP1 — The first point clearly suggests 'Captive breeding programmes', which is a specific method listed on the mark scheme.
  • MP2 — The second point identifies the 'Creation of marine reserves' as a conservation method, matching the mark scheme's 'marine reserves / protected areas'.
  • MP3 — The third point suggests a 'ban the hunting of seals', which directly corresponds to the marking point 'ban on hunting / trade, (of seals)'.

  Common mistakes

  • Writing answers that are too vague, such as 'protect their habitat' or 'stop killing them', without specifying how (e.g., by creating marine reserves or banning hunting).
  • Providing multiple answers that are variations of the same conservation strategy, for example, 'ban hunting' and 'stop the trade of seal fur', which both fall under the same marking point.
  • Suggesting methods that are not feasible or are not recognised conservation strategies, such as 'move all seals to a safe island'.
  • Confusing conservation with animal welfare, for example, suggesting treatment for individual sick seals rather than population-level strategies like reducing pollution.

  Examiner tip: For 'suggest' questions with multiple marks, provide distinct, specific points from your syllabus knowledge rather than one long, elaborated answer.

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  AI-generated model answer, grounded in the official Cambridge mark scheme and reviewed by the MarkScheme team. Mark your own answer to this question →

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