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the act of ; prevention of injury, decay, waste, or loss; preservation:
conservation of wildlife; conservation of human rights.
official supervision of rivers, forests, and other natural resources in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management.
a district, river, forest, etc., under such supervision.
the careful utilization of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion.
the restoration and preservation of works of art.
Contemporary Examples

According to the International Union for conservation of Nature, the animal is “teetering on the brink of extinction.”
Borana Joins the Fight to Save Kenya’s Rhinos…and Wants You to Help Too Joanna Eede February 17, 2014

conservation and development—like public parks—which are down 3.1 percent from last month, and 16.3 percent from last year.
Slowdown: What’s Wrong With the Real Economy? Alex Klein September 3, 2012

In honor of Earth Day, environmentalist Bill McKibben picks his five favorite books about nature and conservation.
My Favorite Environmental Books Bill McKibben April 20, 2010

Interestingly, the League of conservation Voters is a big player here.
Dark Money and Our Looming Oligarchy Michael Tomasky October 21, 2014

In 2012, a conservation team financed by Bezos unearthed the lost engines from the Apollo 11 mission on the ocean floor.
Everything You Need to Know About Jeff Bezos Nina Strochlic August 4, 2013

Historical Examples

The name “Victory” was chosen as representing the idea underlying the conservation of wheat.
Food Guide for War Service at Home Katharine Blunt, Frances L. Swain, and Florence Powdermaker

I see the same law working in nature for conservation and growth.
Essays, First Series Ralph Waldo Emerson

None are so directly interested in the conservation of mussels as the fishermen themselves.
The Protection of Fresh-Water Mussels R. E. Coker

In its public aspect we have labeled the problem, conservation.
Higher Education and Business Standards Willard Eugene Hotchkiss

Let us begin with the conservation of energy, or, as Herbert Spencer used to call it, the persistence of force.
Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays Bertrand Russell

noun
the act or an instance of conserving or keeping from change, loss, injury, etc

protection, preservation, and careful management of natural resources and of the environment
(as modifier): a conservation area

n.

late 14c., conservacioun, “preservation of one’s health and soundness,” from Latin conservationem (nominative conservatio) “a keeping, preserving, conserving,” noun of action from past participle stem of conservare (see conserve). Meaning “preservation of existing conditions” in any sense is from mid-15c. Since late 15c., in reference to English municipal authorities who had charge of rivers, sewers, forests, fisheries, etc. Specifically of the environment from 1922.
conservation
(kŏn’sûr-vā’shən)
The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of natural environments and the ecological communities that inhabit them. Conservation is generally held to include the management of human use of natural resources for current public benefit and sustainable social and economic utilization.