Nazarsir.blogspot.com: 4. Environmental management

4. Environmental management

Ecosystem A review :

Ecosystem is formed by biotic and abiotic factors and their interactions with each other.
Each factor plays very important role in the ecosystem.
Producers like plants are important.
Predators like lion and tiger which prevent the overpopulation of herbivores are also equally important.
However, those organisms are also important though they are dirty. They are responsible for cleaning the environment.
It means that our existence is due to these factors present around us. Hence, we should care for these factors.
Paddy is cultivated on large scale in various states of South India. Paddy fields are frequently attacked by grasshoppers.
Similarly, frogs are also present in large number in the mud of paddy fields, to feed upon grasshoppers and snakes are also present therein to feed upon their favourite food- frogs.
However, if frog population declines all of a sudden.

Relationship between Environment and Ecosystem :

Environment is a broad concept.
Physical, chemical and biological factors affecting the living organisms in any possible way is collectively called as environment.
In short, environment is the condition in surrounding. It includes many biotic, abiotic, natural and artificial factors.
There are two main types of environment.

natural environment
artificial environment

Natural environment consists of air, atmosphere, water, land, living organisms, etc.
Continuous interactions occur between biotic and abiotic factors. Their interactions are very important.
Artificial environment is also affecting the natural environment directly or indirectly.
Basically, environment consists of two basic factors-

Biotic factors,
Abiotic factors.

The science that deals with the study of interactions between biotic and abiotic factors of the environment is called as ecology.
Basic functional unit used to study the ecology is called as ecosystem. Environment consists of many ecosystems.
A small pond is an ecosystem whereas the Earth is largest ecosystem.
In brief, biotic and abiotic factors occupying a definite geographical area and their interactions collectively constitute the ecosystem.
Environmental balance is maintained through continuous operation of various natural cycles like

water cycle,
carbon cycle,
gaseous cycles like nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle, etc.

Environmental balance is also maintained due to various food chains of ecosystem.
Human existence is totally impossible without the existence of nature.
Hence, it is basic responsibility of human being to preserve the nature without disturbing its balance.

Environmental Conservation :

When some natural factors of environment and some artificial polluted factors harm the environment, it creates imbalance between various factors of the environment and ultimately affects the existence of biotic factors.
At present, many environmental problems have been arisen due to effect of various natural and artificial factors on the Earth.
Environmental pollution is one of those main factors.
Generally, contamination of any material is its pollution.
Various reasons like population explosion, fast industrialization, and indiscriminate use of natural resources, deforestation, and unplanned urbanization are responsible for environmental pollution
Pollution is a broad concept.
Various types of pollutions like that of air, water, sound, soil, thermal, light, pollution occur around us.
Ultimate adverse effect of all these is on existence of all the living organisms and out of this, environmental conservation has become the need of hour.

Radioactive pollution:

Radioactive pollution can occur due to two reasons as natural and artificial.
UV and IR radiations are natural radiations whereas X-rays and radiations from atomic energy plants are artificial radiations.
Chernobyl, Windscale, and Three Miles Island mishaps are the major mishaps of the world till present.
Thousands of people have been affected for long term due to these accidents.
Some of the effects of radiations are as follows

Cancerous ulceration occurs due to higher radiations of X-rays.
Tissues in the body are destroyed.
Genetic changes occur.
Vision is adversely affected

Need of environmental conservation General public is not aware about the rules of environment conservation.
It will be possible to answer the environmental problems only if environmental protection-conservation becomes an effective public movement.
Today, all the developed, developing and underdeveloped countries have accepted the responsibility of environmental protection.
Their efforts are in that direction.
They have defined the future plans about environmental protection and have constituted the necessary laws

A peek into the history :

In 1972, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been established in a conference arranged on human and environment in which environmental problems were discussed.
Afterwards, in India, a separate environmental department had been established after through discussion on environmental problems.
Ministry of environment and forests is involved in planning, inducting and increasing awareness about environment and forest through various programs since 1985.

Environmental Conservation - Our social responsibility :

Since existence of human, there is interrelationship between human and environment.
Human stepped on the Earth long after formation of Earth.
On the Earth, human being proved its superiority as compared to other animals with the help of characters like intelligence, memory, imaginary ability, etc.
Human established domination over the nature. Human utilized all the natural resources as much as possible.
If human has disturbed the environmental balance, then human itself only can conserve and improve the quality of nature.
Many times, general public is unknown that its activities are harmful to environment and thereby unknowingly many activities happen.

Laws enacted about environmental conservation:

1. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 :

The land reserved for forest conservation has been prohibited to use for any other purpose by this law.
Ex. Permission of central government is compulsory for mining activities.
Any person who disobeys this law is entitled to imprisonment for 15 days.

2. Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986:

Purpose of this act is to control the pollution and punish the persons or institutes harming the environment.
Any person or factory is prohibited by this act from releasing the pollutants in atmosphere beyond a permissible limit.
The person breaching this rule is entitled for either five year imprisonment or fine up to Rs. 1 lakh.
National Green Tribunal has been established in 2010 for effective implementation of environment related laws

3. Sound Pollution (Control & Prevention) Rule, 2000.

4. Biomedical Waste (Management & Handling) Rule, 1998.

5. Waste (Management & Handling) Rule, 2011.

6. As per wildlife protection Act 1972

As per claus e 49 A, trading of rare animals has been completely banned.

As per clause 49 B, use of articles prepared from skin or organs of wild animals has been banned.

As per clause 49 C, disclosure of the stock of artefacts made form rare wild animals is compulsory.

The big story of a small man :

Jadav Molai Payeng is a highly capable person in Assam Born in 1963, he is working as a forest worker since the age of 16 years.
Once, large number of snakes died in the flood of Brahmaputra River flowing by the village.
As a preventive measure, Molai planted 20 bamboo plantlets.
In 1979, the local Social Forestry Department began a social afforestation project on 200 hectares of land.
‘Molai’ was one of the few forest workers who were looking after that project.
As a result of his continuous work of planting and caring for the trees, the barren area witnessed the forest cover over the 1360 acres.
awarded with the prestigious ‘Padmashree’ award by government of India for this unparallel work. Now, it is well known as ‘Molai Jungle’. Many people come together to destroy the forest, but a single person, if determined, can establish a new forest!

Environmental Conservation and Biodiversity :

Most harmful effect of the environmental pollution occurs on the living organisms.
Biodiversity is the richness of living organisms in nature due to presence of varieties of organisms, ecosystems and genetic variations within a species. Biodiversity occurs at three different levels.
Genetic Diversity Occurrence of diversity among the organisms of same species is genetic diversity.
Species Diversity Innumerable species of organisms occur in the nature. This is called as species diversity.
Species diversity includes various types of plants, animals and microbes.
Ecosystem Diversity Many ecosystems are present in each region.
Ecosystem is formed through the interaction between plants, animals, their habitat and changes in the environment.
Each ecosystem has its own characteristic animals, plants, microbes and abiotic factors.
Ecosystems are also of two types are natural and artificial.

Sacred Groves :

The forest conserved in the name of god and considered to be sacred is called as sacred grove. These are in fact ‘sanctuaries’ conserved by the society and not by the government forest department.
As it has been conserved in the name of god, it has special protection.
These clusters of thick forests are present not only in Western Ghats of India but in the entire country.
More than 13000 sacred groves have been reported in India.

How can biodiversity be conserved?

Protecting the rare species of organisms.
Establishing national parks and sanctuaries.
Declaring some regions as ‘bioreserves’.
Projects for conservation of special species.
Conserving all plants and animals.
Observing the rules.
Maintaining record of traditional knowledge.

Hotspots of Biodiversity :

34 highly sensitive biodiversity spots are reported all over the world. Such areas had once occupied 15.7% area of the Earth.
At present, 86% of the sensitive areas are already destroyed.
Only 2.3% area of the Earth has been left over with sensitive spots.
It includes 1,50,000 plant species which are 50% of the world count.
As far as India is considered, out of 135 species of animals, 85 species are found in the jungles of eastern region.
About 1,500 endemic plant species are found in western ghat. Out of the total plant species in the entire world, 50,000 are endemic.
Three Endangered Heritage Places of the Country
The Western Ghat spread over the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala these six states has been endangered due to mining industry and search for natural gas.
Habitats of Asiatic lion and wild bison of this region have been under threat.
Manas National Park of the Assam is under threat due to dams and indiscriminate use of water.
Tiger and rhino of that region are under threat.
Sunderban National Park of West Bengal is reserved for tigers.

Classification of Threatened Species :

1. Endangered Species :

Either number of these organisms is declined or their habitat is shrunk to such an extent that they can be extinct in near future if conservative measures are not implemented.
Example, Lion tailed monkey, lesser florican.

2. Rare Species :

Number of these organisms is considerably declined. Organisms of these species being endemic may become extinct very fast.
Example, Red panda, Musk deer.

3. Vulnerable Species :

Number of these organisms is extremely less and continues to decline.
Continuous decline in their number is worrisome reason. Example, Tiger, Lion.

4. Indeterminate Species:

These organisms appear to be endangered but due to their some behavioural habits (like shyness) there is no definite and substantial information.
Example, Giant squirrel (Shekru).

Specialty of the Day 22nd May:

World Biodiversity Day Survey the plants and animals in your area. Maintain a record about their characteristics.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Published a survey in 2008.
According to it, about 30% of animal species have become extinct over the period of 35 years (1975 – 2005).