UNIT -IV

ENVIRONMENT

Environnment is a global issue. The term enyironment is being

derived from a
French word environ means to encircle or sur-
round. Environment literally means surrounding and every
thing that affect an
ly known as its organism during its lifetime is collective-
"Environment
total of environment.
1S sum In another words
water, air and land interrelationships among
tismshemselandves property".
and also with the human being, organ-
other living
It includes allthe physicaland biological
Environmnent(Pro-
tseuctriooundi
n) Act,ng 1986,
and their intéractions.As per physicaland
the
environment includes all
62 Value Education

surroundings of an organism along with their inter

biological defined as "thesum total of wa
actions. Environment is thus
inter-relationships that exist among
ter, air and land and the other living organisms and
themand with the human beings,
materials."
one subject that is actually global as well as
Environment is
Issues like global warming, depletion of ozone
local in nature. bio
dwindling forests and energy resources, loss of global
layer,
going to affect the mankind as a whole
diversity etc. which are
nature and for that we have to think and plan glob
are global in environmental problems which
ally. However, there are some
importance. For dealing with local environmen
are of localized hydroelectric project in an
tal issues, e.g. impact of mining or
of solid waste, riv
area, problems of disposal and marnagement salinization
er or lake pollution, soilerosion, water
logging and
of soil, fluorosis problem in local population, arsenic pollution
order
In
of groundwater etc., we have to think and act locally.
to make people aware about those aspects of environment with
which they are so intimately associated, it is very important to
make every one environmentally educated.

Ecosystem
According to A.G. Tansley (1935),"An ecosystem is the ecolog
ical unit consisting of biotic factors (living) and abiotic factors
(non-living) in a specific area. For example forest, grassland,
desert, aquatic etc.

Balanced Ecosystem:
Allecosystems, even the ultimate biosphere are open systens.
There is necessarily at least an inflow and outflow of energy.
Balance of ecosystem means balance of autotrophs and het
erotrophs in an ecosystem, to maintain an even distribution of
Sustainable energy through tood chain without any external in
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terference. Any disturbance in autotrophic-heterotrophic bal

ance leads to ecosystem imbalance, more the imbalance more
externals are required to balarnce. Bigger the ecosystems lesser
is the inbalance. Balance infact designates to greater primary
producers than consumer. The different types of ecosystem are
Natural, Artificial, Terrestrial, Aquatic, Forest, Grassland, Ma
rine water, Fresh water Running water, (River, Streams), Stag
nant water, (Lake, Pond)

An ecosystem has two types of components

1. Abiotic component includes
(A)Physical
(1) Sunlight (for photosynthesis)
(2) Water (essential for living beings)
(3) Temperature (necessary to get survive)
(4) Soil (provide base and nutrients)
(B) Chemical
(1) Proteins
(2) Carbohydrates
(3) Fats
(4) Minerals etc.

2. Biotic component
Producers: They are chlorophyll bearing, self -nourishing or
ganisms, which prepare organic compounds from inorganic
rawmaterials, through the processes of photosynthesis e.g. all
green plants.
Consumers: They depend on the energy,produced by the pro
ducer. Different categories of consumer are herbivores, carni-
Vores and omnivores.

Decomposers: They attack on dead animal producers etc. and

convert the complex
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Organic compounds, locked in to them in to, simpler com

Pounds (by the process of decomposition and disintegration) and
then recycle all the nutrients back. For example, bacteria and fungi.

Function of Eco-system.
It balances the rate of biological energy flow and balances the
nutrients cycle. It balances the nutrients cycle. The producers
actually use nutrients and prepare food, the consumers con
sume it and the decomposers recover the nutrients keep flow
ing between biotic &abiotic components, forming nutrients cy
cle known as biogeochemical cycle.

Food Chain
The process of eating and being eaten by the successive crea
tures is known to as food chain. In short it is the flow of energy
from producer to tertiary consumer.
Grazing food chain: It starts from green plants and, through
carnivores it reaches to the decomposers for final breakdown of
the complex in simpler one. For example,
pond ecosystem etc.
grassland ecosystem,
Parasiticfood chain: When plants and animals get infected by
parasites. Smaller organism consumes them without
them. For example nematode, bug etc. killing
Detritus food chain: Food chain that starts.from dead
and
decayed organisms, to the Micro-organisms to the
or saprOvorous and these predator form a detrivorous
food chain. chain called detritus

Food Web
There is a long interlinked chain processes in an
ferent food chainsare inter-connected with eachecosystem. Dif
other in aspe
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cificpattern. A food web presents allpossible feeding relation

chain
ship among various organisms of the ecosystemn. If the
ots disturbed a little, then it leads to the loss of species and the
gets
web breaksdown.

Ecological Succession
The slow but continuous replacement of ecosystem over a peri
od of tinmein any particular area is called ecological succession.
It occurs due to environmental changes. The colonial establish
ment and extinction of species fall under this process. Through
this way the plants and animal species change gradually.

Types of Succession
Primary succession: The area which is the lifeless and unex
posed to any life is occupied by a living community for the first
time is known to as primary succession of that land.
Secondary succession: When a. new biotic community re
places an already existing biotic community then this type of
replacenment is known as secondary succession. For example
farm garden or parlous etc.

Ecological Pyramid
It is used to represent the status of the ecosystem for different
parameters such as food, energy, and biomass.
Pyramid of numbers: It represents the number of producers
and consumers at each successive tropic level. Its base shows
producer, the next level shows the primary and secondary con
Sumers, and the apex higher or tertiary consumers. For exam
ple, grassland ecosystem.
Pyramid of energy: It is based on the total energy present
in each tropic level of the pyramid. This energy
transfers from
66 Value Education

pyramid. It is always upright as

base towards the apex of the level from base (produc-
energy decreases at successive tropic
ers) to apex (consumers). weight or biomass
basis of it is the
Pyramid of biomass: The level at any time. The biomass
tropic higher for e.g.forest
of the Organisms in each level to the
tropic
decreases from the lower
ecosystem

Environment
nature -
The binding of man and
Conservation and enrichment
infls
inter-reláted. The environment
environment are
Man and
beings and also human beingsmodify
ences the life of human growth, dispersal,activi
environment as a result of their
their
etc. Thus all living beings including man
ties, death and decay mutually reactive affecting each oth
and their environment are dynamic equilibrium is possible in
and a
er in a number of wayshuman beings (society) and environment
between the two, i.e. social structures like industri
are interdependent. The different during
agricultural, religious, aesthetic etc. have developed
al, civilization and these structures
rep
various stages of human
being's accumulated cultural resources based on
resent human
natural environment.
development of
If the natural.environment helped in the existence
the
different structures of the societý on the one hand,
responses of these
and quality of environment now rests on the
hand.
social structures to the environment on the other
The burning issues like quality of environment, disruption
of earth's natural ecosystem, environmental degradation and
pollution, ecological imbalances, depletion of resources etc.
can be approached and solved only after considering the value
judgments which nmay be determined by taking into account the
consequences of environmental improvement programme' on
the entire society and society's response towards the improve
 Value Education 67

mentprogramme. Actually all these depend on the interest and

desire of the society in improving the quality of environment.
The interaction between environment and society depends
largely on the socialand political system. Even thecapitalistic
and socialisticsystems perceptions and reactions to the environ
ment are quite different. The differential interactions are due to
uneven distribution of natural resources, uneven economicand
socialdevelopment, dissimilarity of demographic factors, vary
ing view points of the governments and individuals towards
environment etc:

Continuous and exceedingly increasing rate of rapacious

exploitation of natural resources, industrialisation, technologi
cal growth, unplanned urbanization and profit oriented capital
ism by the developed western world are responsible for grave
environmental crisis and ecological imbalance not confined to
their own countries but to the whole world.
The.socialistic system of
government gives more empha
sis on the social importance of natural
resources and environ
mental problems and the urgent need to tackle, these
lems. Marxism preaches to organise society's prob
rapacious exploitation of natural resources control over the
and to develop
harmony between man and nature. The changes
lationship between man and environment in.the re
change in depend upon the
organisation attitude of society. To improve
and
environmental
the standard and to maintain ecological balance,
followings
society.
are some issues before the
present civilized

1. Rapid
Rapid population explosion:
natural population
fact that explosion puts tremendous
resources andhd
pressure on the
environmental quality. This is due to the
population growth leads to poverty which directly or
indirectly declines the environmental standard.
68 Value Education

Rational use of non -polluted water resources:

2.
quality of our water bodies and their
The restoration of water the present society.
before
optimum uses are the challenges

increase agricultural growth:

3.To sustain and
environment, the over cultivation of soil. re
Without damaging organic matter, soil salinity
deficiency, lack of
sults in nutrient structure of the soil.
to physical
and danmage

erosion:
4. To check soil restoration of land or
be prevented by the
The soil erosion can directly or indirectly related to strate
are
soilresources which land, water and forest.
management of
gies for the

forest resources:
5. Restoration of rate in order
are depleting at a very faster
Theforest resources
timber and farmland for the increased
of
tomeet growing need areas have been converted into barren
population. Vast forest present society to restore our
need of the
waste lands. So it is the social forestry and afforesta
through
forest resources possibly
tion programmes.

6.To check pollution: intervention

of

of natural resources,
The over exploitation trace element cycle, extraneous
environmental
bio-geochemical cycles and
energy etc. cause serious
release of matter and
hazards. hazard-
continuous greenhouse gas emission,arsenals
In addition, and agriculture, nuclear global
chemicals of industry
biotechnological misuse leadto
radioactive wastes and
 Value Education 69

catastrophism. So the prevention of pollution is of prime im

Considering the abOve issues,
portance for the present society. how he is
it is clear that the fate of human being depends on
problems.
managing and overcoming the above

and
Some possible ways of tackling the problems
maintaining environmental standard are:
(a) Taking effective measures for population control.
(b) Optimum use of natural resources.
(c) Conserving and protecting biodiversity.
(d) Creating public awarenessabout the benefits and impli
cations of environment.
(e) Giving top priority for environmental protection.
() Developing ecofriendly technological processes.
(g) Pronmoting sustainable agriculture which will not harm
the environment.
(h) Using bio-fertiliser or ecofriendly fertilisers.
(i) Using minimum amount of pesticides and insecticides.
) Developing waste land by adopting afforestation pro
grammnes.
(k) Developing suitable biotechnology to clean up hazard-.
Ous wastes in the environment.
(1) Choosing suitable technique to treat the pollutants be
fore their discharge into environment.

Need for Public

Awareness
hn the ever inçreasing development by
scale degradation of natural resources havemodern
been
man, large
public has to be educated about the fact that if occurred, the
6ur environment we are actually we are degrad-
harming ourselves. Toen
cOurage
necessary meaningful public participation
to create awareness about environment pollution and
and environment, it is
related adverse effects. The United Nations conference on En-
70 Value Education

Nironment and Development held in Rio-de-Janeiro, followed

by Earth summit on sustainable Development have high-light
ed thekev issues of global environmental concern and have at
tracted the general public towards the deteriorating environ
goal
ment. Any Government at its own level can't achieve the
of environment conservation, until the public has a participato
when the
ry role in it. Public participatory role is possible only
issues.
public is awared about the ecologicaland environmental
would
In short, if we want to manage on planet earth, we
have to make the entire population, environmentally educated.
be:
The objectives of environmental awareness should
(a) Improving the quality of environment.
environmental
(b) Creating an awareness among people on
problems and conservation.
(c) Creating such an atmosphere as people find themselves
fit enough to participate in decision making process of
onmental development programmes.
Environmental enrichment consists of providing each species,
in its enclosure, with the natural biotic and abiotic elements
which reproduce, as far as possible, its natural environment in
order to avoid any aberrant or unnatural behaviour.
The purpose of environmental enrichment is to induce and
encourage the most natural possible behaviour in the animal;
in this way, it is kept busy and diverted to prevent the ap
pearance of stereotypical behaviour symptomatic of boredom,
which leads to continuous stress and the potential emergence
of a pathology that could damage its health.(The correct envi
ronmentalenrichmnent of a facility, apart from encouraging nat
ural behaviour in the animal, is an extremely valuable tool tor
achieving conservation objectives, ias by providing the animal
with ahabitat as closely adapted as possible to its natural state
we optimize the possibility of reproduction and perpetuation
of the species.
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Environmental conservation is the act of conserving or sav-

natural resources through careful management. This
ing our responsibly.,
but Wisely and
03ns we can use the resources
waste, saving trees, recycling, using
Examples: reducing your don't deplete Our natural resources.
renewable resources that
environment conservation
Steps for
Reduce the waste at the origin
of degradable and non biodegradable
Proper disposal
waste material after segregation.
materials
Adopt recycle of waste food and
Planting more trees
Observe world environment day on 5th June
harmful substances under
Not disposingthe chemicals,
bodies
the ground or in water
One should not burn plastics.
source of energy
Using unleaded petrol and alternate
will reduce the pollution
* Vehicle pooling is a goodmethod.
Walk or cycle wherever possible
Use more of public transport if possible

Questions
1. What are recent environment issues?
2. Write on elements of ecosystem.
3. What are the steps to save the environment?

References
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