Chapter 3 Ecosystem Management

Humans and Their Environment People have always lived in an environment In the past, our impact was smaller hand tools, smaller populations, etc. With technology, our impact has increased

Managing Natural Resources Active role in caring for environment Need to understand how environment works Must gather information about environment health

Managing Natural Resources Environmental issues require their own solutions Each issue is different Each issue should be considered separately

Natural Resources Everything in environment is natural resource Any object used to perform work Any object with potential to perform work

Natural Resources Nonexhaustible resources Examples could last forever continuously renewed does not mean they are not limited Human misuse can still damage resource Examples water and air

Natural Resources Renewable resources Resource can be replaced by human efforts Use should be restricted used no faster than can be regenerated Does not mean it will never be used up Examples forests, fish populations, wildlife populations

Natural Resources Nonrenewable or exhaustible resources resources that cannot be replaced or reproduced exist in finite amounts do not renew themselves We can learn to conserve, use less, and recycle

Natural Resources Although a natural resource may be finite, it is not necessarily limited

Nonrenewable and Exhaustible Resources Examples oil, lead, cobalt, zinc even soil constantly being formed Why not a nonexhaustible resource? Nature makes soil too slowly

Nonrenewable and Exhaustible Resources Nonrenewable also means renewed too slowly

Balance of Nature No such thing as balance of nature Forces of nature constantly produce change: continuous and natural It is essential that change be gradual Managing resources wisely requires careful use using resources slowly and gradually

Carrying Capacity Population Carrying capacity number of individuals in given area Carrying capacity population level an ecosystem can support number of individuals that can get resources Populations that exceed carrying capacity experience disease, predation, starvation

Human Population Human population through the years 6000 B.C. = approximately 10 million people Birth of Christ = approximately 300 million A.D. 1800 = almost 1 billion people 1900 = 1.6 billion 1979 = 4.3 billion 1999 = 6 billion

Human Population What is the Earth’s carrying capacity?

Conservation Protecting natural resources against harm and waste Involves using less so resource available in future not using resources wastefully or carelessly

Conservation Resources are not to be set aside should be used should be managed for future use, too

Conservation Soil necessary for farms, human use maintaining wildlife habitats Soil erosion greatest source of water pollution

Conservation Soil conservation protecting soil from wind and water minimizing erosion keeping soils fertile and productive

Preservation Maintaining resource in natural state simply because we value it We must balance our desires for preservation with needs as a people

Questions for this generation: Preservation Questions for this generation: Can we set aside certain resources? Which is more important: economic growth or preservation?

Protecting Resources Pollution must find origin and reduce release may even involve cleanup

Protecting Resources Water Pollution mostly from untreated sewage and industrial waste Clean Water Act of 1972 did much to reduce water pollution

Protecting Resources Air pollution acid rain smog caused by weak acids forming in rain smog pollution reacts with UV radiation forms cloud of polluted air

Protecting Resources Main sources of air pollution exhaust coal and petroleum combustion Must reduce amount of exhaust and combustion products