5th SEMESTER

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (18CIV59)

PREPARED BY
DAKSHAYANI T R
ASST PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGG.
MVJCE

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 Bridge Course Material
 Environment is not a single subject. It is an integration of
several subjects that includes both science and social
science.

 To understand all the different aspects of our environment we

need to understand biology, chemistry, physics, geography,
resources management, economics and population issue.

 Thus the scope of environmental studies is extremely wide and

covers some aspects of nearly every major discipline.

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 Bridge Course Material
 We live in a world in which natural resources are limited. Water,
air, soil, minerals, oils, the product we get from the forests,
grasslands, oceans, and from agriculture and from livestock are
all the part of our life support system. Without them life itself will
be impossible.
 As population is increasing day by day the quantity of resources
each of us using is also increasing. The earth cannot be expected
to sustain this expanding level of utilization of resources. Added
to this is misuse of resources.
 We cannot expect government alone to manage the safe
guarding of our environment.
 We need to do it ourselves.

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 BRIDGE COURSE MATERIAL

 Environment: Surroundings
and includes both science and
social science.
 biology, chemistry, physics,
geography, resources
management, economics and
population issue.

Source: https://www.jansatta.com/

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 BRIDGE COURSE MATERIAL
Living components includes……….
a) Air b) Water c) Earth d) Animals
Ans: Option d) Animals
Nonliving components includes……….
b) Insects b) Water c) Plants d) Animals
Ans: Option b) Water
World’s environment day is celebrated on …….
a) 10th June b) 1st June c) 5th June d) 15th June
Ans: Option c) 5th June

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 1 Ecosystems
 Introduction to environmental studies, Multidisciplinary nature of
environmental studies, Scope and importance.
 Concept of Sustainability and Sustainable Development

 Ecosystems(Structure and Function): Forest, Desert, Wetlands,

Riverine, Oceanic and Lake.
 Biodiversity: Types, Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity,
 Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 2 Advances in Energy Systems

 (Merits, Demerits, Global Status and Applications)

 Hydrogen, Solar, OTEC, Tidal and Wind.

 Natural Resource Management (Concept and case-

studies): Disaster Management, Sustainable Mining,
Cloud Seeding, and Carbon Trading.

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 3
 Environmental Pollution (Sources, Impacts, Corrective and
Preventive measures, Relevant Environmental Acts, Case-
studies): Surface and Ground Water Pollution; Noise
pollution; Soil Pollution and Air Pollution.
 Waste Management & Public Health Aspects: Bio-medical
Wastes; Solid waste; Hazardous wastes; E-wastes.

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 4
 Global Environmental Concerns (Concept, policies and
case-studies): Ground water depletion/recharging, Climate
Change; Acid Rain; Ozone Depletion; Fluoride problem in
drinking water; Environmental Toxicology.

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 5
 Latest Developments in Environmental Pollution
Mitigation Tools (Concept and Applications):
 G.I.S. & Remote Sensing, Environment Impact Assessment,
Environmental Management Systems, ISO14001.

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 MODULE 1
ECOSYSTEMS AND
BIODIVERSITY

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 SYLLABUS

Module - 1 Ecosystems
 Introduction to environmental studies, Multidisciplinary nature of
environmental studies, Scope and importance.
 Concept of Sustainability and Sustainable Development

 Ecosystems(Structure and Function): Forest, Desert, Wetlands,

Riverine, Oceanic and Lake.
 Biodiversity: Types, Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity,
 Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

 The word environment is derived from French word “

environ” which means surroundings

 Environmental science is a multidisciplinary science

which combines physics, chemistry, biology, medical,
health science, life science, agricultural science, forestry,
public health engineering and so on.

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 DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENT
 The word environment is derived from French word “ environ” which
means surroundings
 All the factors such as physical, geographical, chemical, biological,
and ecological which affects human life and its existence on this
planet is called Environment.

 It includes earth, lakes, forests, farms, vegetation and other

biological life such as animals, plants, bacteria and micro- organisms
etc.
 Biotic environment

 Abiotic environment

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 BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT

 Biotic environment includes all living organisms and

biological life such as animals, birds, forests, reptiles, insects,
bacteria and micro- organisms like algae, fungus etc.

 Abiotic environment includes all non-living components

such as land, mountains, rivers, air, water, temperature,
humidity, water vapor, sand, dust, clouds etc.

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 Environmental studies

• Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field

which systematically studies human interaction with the
environment in the interests of solving complex problems.
Environmental studies bring together the principles of the
physical sciences, commerce/economics and social sciences
so as to solve contemporary environmental problems.

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 MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF
ENVIRONMENT STUDIES
•Environment studies is a multidisciplinary subject where different aspects are dealt
with in a holistic approach. The science of Environment studies comprises various
branches of studies like chemistry, physics, life science, medical science,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering, geography, geology, atmospheric
science, etc. It is the science of physical phenomena in the environment.
•The complex relationship that exist in our natural environment among people,
animals, other organisms, water soil, air tree, ocean, and so on. The interconnections
are numerous and involve many different disciplines. We need inputs from diverse
disciplines such as biology, botany, zoology, soil science, technology oceanography,
atmospheric science, economics, sociology, anthropology and ethics. Environmental
studies involve educating the people for preserving the quality of environment.

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 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

The scope of environmental studies is very wide, and it deals

with many areas like
i) Conservation of natural resources,
ii) Ecological aspects,
iii) Pollution of the surrounding natural resources,
iv) Controlling the pollution,
v) Social issues connected to it, and
vi) Impacts of human population on the environment.

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IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

The environment studies make us aware about the

importance of protection and conservation of our mother
earth and about the destruction due to the release of
pollution into the environment.

The increase in human and animal population, industries and

other issues make the survival cumbersome. A great number
of environment issues have grown in size and make the
system more complex day by day, threatening the survival
of mankind on earth.

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IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

•Environment studies have become significant for the

following reasons:
1. Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total
environment and its related problems.
2. Motivating people for active participation in environmental
protection and improvement.
3. Developing skills for active identification and development
of solutions to environmental problems.
4. Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of
natural resources.
5. Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social,
economic, ecological and aesthetic factors.
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 Concept of Sustainability

• Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs.
• The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars:
economic, environmental, and social—also known
informally as profits, planet, and people.

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 Importance of Sustainable development:
• The Importance of sustainable development is to balance our
economic, environmental and social needs, allowing
prosperity for now and future generations.
• Sustainable development consists of a long-term, integrated
approach to developing and achieving a healthy community
by jointly addressing economic, environmental, and social
issues, whilst avoiding the over consumption of key natural
resources.
• Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and
enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in
which we develop and use technologies.

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 Importance of Sustainable development
• Countries must be allowed to meet their basic needs of
employment, food, energy, water and sanitation.
• If this is to be done in a sustainable manner, then there is a
definite need for a sustainable level of population.
• Economic growth should be supported and developing nations
should be allowed a growth of equal quality to the developed
nations.
• There are four objectives of sustainable development: These
include social progress and equality, environmental protection,
conservation of natural resources and stable economic growth.
• Everybody has the right to a healthy, clean and safe environment.
• This can be achieved by reducing pollution, poverty, poor housing
and unemployment.

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 Environmental Studies
 The word environment is derived from French word “ environ”
which means surrounding or enveloping.
 Environmental science is a multidisciplinary science which
combines physics, chemistry, biology, medical, health science, life
science, agricultural science, forestry, public health engineering
and so on.
 The main objective of environmental science is to protect the
environment.

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 Definition of Environment
 All the factors such as physical, geographical, chemical,
biological, and ecological which affects human life and its
existence on this planet are called environment.
 The environment includes earth, lakes, forests, farms,
vegetation and other biological life such as animals, plants,
bacteria and micro- organisms etc.
 All the components of the environment are basically divided
into two categories.
 Biotic environment
 Abiotic environment

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 Biotic and Abiotic environment

 Biotic environment includes all living organisms and

biological life such as animals, birds, forests, reptiles, insects,
bacteria and micro- organisms like algae, fungus etc.
 Abiotic environment includes all non-living components
such as land, mountains, rivers, air, water, temperature,
humidity, water vapour, sand, dust, clouds etc.

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 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

The scope of environmental studies is very wide, and it deals

with many areas like
i) Conservation of natural resources,
ii) ecological aspects,
iii) pollution of the surrounding natural resources,
iv) controlling the pollution,
v) social issues connected to it, and
vi) impacts of human population on the environment.

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 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
1.Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total
environment and its related problems.
2.Motivating people for active participation in environmental
protection and improvement.
3.Developing skills for active identification and development
of solutions to environmental problems.
4.Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of
natural resources.
5.Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social,
economic, ecological and aesthetic factors.

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 Concept of Ecology and Ecosystem

 Ecology : Study of the distribution and abundance of

organisms, the flow of energy and materials between abiotic
and biotic components of ecosystems.

 Ecosystem: The living things in a given area, non-living

chemical and physical factors of their environment , linked
together through nutrient cycle and energy flow.

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 Structure/Components of Ecosystem

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 Components of Ecosystem
 Abiotic Components
 Consists of Non-living chemical & physical components
• such as water, air, nutrients in the soil or water & Solar
Energy.
•
 Physical & chemical factors that influence living
• organisms in land (terrestrial) ecosystem & aquatic life
zones.
 Abiotic Components are mainly of two types:
 Climatic Factors:
 which include rain, temperature, light, wind, etc.
 Edaphic Factors:
 which include soil, pH, Topography, Minerals, etc.

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 Components of Ecosystem
 Biotic Components
 All the living things that directly or indirectly
affect the ecosystem biotic factors interact with
other living organisms and the physical
environment can also be Limiting Factors ex.
disease (bacteria), predators, food resources.

 Made up of biological components consisting of living

and dead plants, animals and microorganisms.

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 The Major Biological Components of
Ecosystem :
 Producers (Autotrophs)(self-feeders)
 Make their own food from compounds that are obtained
from their environment. Are the source of all food in an
ecosystem. On land most producers are green plants.
 In freshwater and marine ecosystems, algae and plants are
the major producers near shorelines.
 In open water, the dominant producers are phytoplankton (most
of them microscopic) that float or drift in the water.
 Most producers capture sunlight to make carbohydrates (such
as glucose) by photosynthesis .

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 Components of Ecosystem
 Consumers (Heterotrophs) (“other feeders”)
 Get their energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms
or their remains.
 Primary consumers : Are those that eat producers (plants)
as a source of food. They are also known as herbivores.
 Secondary consumers or carnivores : Eat other animals.
 Tertiary Consumers : Large Carnivores which feed on
secondary consumers.
 Quaternary Consumers : Largest Carnivores that feed on
tertiary consumers. They are not eaten by any animals.
 Omnivores : Have mixed diet that include both plants and
animals.

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 Components of Ecosystem

 Decomposers :
 Mostly certain types of bacteria and fungi are specialized
consumers that recycle organic matter in ecosystems.

 They do this by breaking down (biodegrading) dead

organic material to get nutrients and releasing the
resulting simpler inorganic compounds into the soil and
water, where they can be taken up as nutrients by
producers.

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 Forest Ecosystem (Terrestrial Ecosystem)
 A forest ecosystem is the one in which a tall and trees grow
that support many animals and birds. The forest are found
in undisturbed areas receiving moderate to hi rainfall. The
forest occupies nearly 40% of the world’s land area. In India
it occupies only 19% of its total land area.
 Types of forest ecosystem
 Tropical Rain forests.
 Tropical deciduous forests.
 Tropical scrub forests.
 Temperate rain forests.

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  Features of different types of Forests
1.Tropical Rain forests
They are found near the equator. They are characterized
by high temperature. They have broad leaf trees like teak.
2.Tropical deciduous forests
They are found little away from the equator. They are
characterized by a warm climate and rain is only during
monsoon. They have different types of deciduous trees
like maple, oak.

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 3.Tropical Scrub forests
These are characterized by a dry climate for longer time.
They small deciduous trees and shrubs and animals like
maple, oak and hickory
4. Temperate Rain Forests
They are found in temperate areas with adequate rainfall.
They are characterized by coniferous trees like pines, firs,
red wood etc., and animals like, squirrels, fox, cats, bear etc.,
5. Temperate deciduous forests
They are found in areas with moderate temperatures.
have major trees including broad leaf deciduous trees like
oak, hickory and animals like deer, fox, bear, etc.,

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  Characteristics of forest ecosystems
1. Forests are characterized by warm temperature and
adequate rainfall, which make the
2. generation of number of ponds, lakes etc.,
3. The forest maintains climate and rainfall.
4. The forest support many wild animals and protect
biodiversity.
5. The soil is rich in organic matter and nutrients which
support the growth of trees.
6. Since penetration of light is so poor, the conversion of
organic matter into nutrients is very fast.

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 Forest Ecosystem
 Forest Occupy roughly 40 % of the land. The different
components of forest ecosystem are as follows:
 Abiotic Components: These are organic & inorganic
substances present in the soil and atmosphere. In addition
to minerals present in forest we find the dead organic
debris, moreover light conditions are different due to
complex stratification in the plants.

 Biotic Components: Producers These are mainly trees that

show much species and greater degree of stratification.
Besides trees there are also present shrubs, and ground
vegetation.

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 Forest Ecosystem

 Consumers: Primary Consumers: These are herbivores

that include animals feeding on tree leaves, ants, beetles,
grass hoppers, etc., and large elephants, dears, squirrels,
etc.
 Secondary Consumers: These are carnivores, like snakes,
birds, lizards, fox, etc. feeding on herbivores.
 Tertiary consumers: These are top carnivores like lion
tiger, etc. that eat carnivores of secondary level.
 Decomposers: These are wide variety of micro organisms
including, fungi, bacteria.

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 Forest Ecosystem

Source: dreamstime.com

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 Certainty Based Marking Questions
1. Which of the following statements about forest is not correct?
(a) Forest reduces soil erosion.
(b) Provides recreational opportunities.
(c) Provides a source of economic development.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (d)
2. Major causes of deforestation are:
(a) Shifting Cultivation
(b) Fuel requirements
(c) Raw materials for industries
(d) All of these
Ans. (b)
3. Demography is the study of:
(e) Study on forest
(f) Study on Population growth
(g) Study of rivers
(h) Study of earthquakes
Ans. (b)

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 Desert Ecosystems
 Introduction
Desert occupies about 35% of our world’s land area. It is
characterized by less than 25 cm rainfall. The atmosphere
is dry and hence it is a poor insulator .

 Types of desert ecosystems

Based on the climatic conditions, deserts are classified
three types.
1.Tropical deserts.
2.Temperate deserts.
3.Cold deserts.

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 Features of different types of deserts
1. Tropical deserts: Tropical deserts are found in, Africa:
Sahara desert, Rajasthan: Thar desert.
They are characterized by only few species. Wind blow
sand dunes are very common.
2.Temperate deserts
 They are found in, South California: Majave.
 They are characterized by very hot summer and very
Winter time.
3. Cold Deserts : Found in China: Gobi desert.
 They are characterized by cold winters and summers.

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 Desert Ecosystem

 Abiotic components include, light, temperature, minerals.

 Biotic Components:
 Producers : These are shrubs, especially bushes, some
grasses, and few trees. E.g. Cacti, Xerophytes, mosses
 Consumers: The most common animals are reptiles, and
insects, there are some rodents, and birds, and above all
ship of desert camels, feed on tender plants.
 Decomposers: These are very few as due to poor vegetation
the amount of dead organic matter is less. They are some
fungi and bacteria.
 Desert occupy 17 % of land.

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 Desert Ecosystem

Source: https://desertbiomepro.weebly.com//

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 Wetland Ecosystem
 Wetlands are defined as "lands in low-lying plains, Dominated
by hydric soils; inundated or saturated by surface water or
ground water and promoting only hydrophytic vegetation”.
 These zones are found between dry land and waterlogged
zones along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines.
 Wetlands are integral parts of a watershed. Their position in
the landscape is influenced by and influences the
characteristics of a watershed.

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 Wetlands are characterized by the following factors:

 Topographically low land

 Permanent inundation
 Hydric soils
 Reducing environment (absence of free oxygen within the soil
profile)
 Hydrophytic vegetation at shallow and deep waters
 Wetlands can function as:
 nutrient sinks, temporary water storage areas, groundwater
recharge areas, and critical wildlife habitat.
 Natural and anthropogenic (human-induced) activities within
a watershed influence the functions of natural wetlands.

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 Types of Wetlands

 Based on their physical, i.e. geomorphological conditions,

chemical, and biological characteristics wetlands are
classified into various types.
 Two major categories of wetlands are recognized as:
 Inland wetlands.
 Coastal wetlands.
 Inland wetlands are non-tidal environments and coastal
wetlands may have a tidal influence.

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 Inland wetlands

 Inland wetlands are most common on floodplains along rivers

and streams, and also in isolated depressions surrounded by
dry land.
 Inland wetlands include marshes and wet meadows dominated
by herbaceous plants, swamps dominated by shrubs, and
wooded swamps dominated by trees.
 The Inland wetlands include:
 Inland freshwater marshes
 Peat lands
 Deep-water swamps
 Riparian wetlands

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 Coastal wetlands
 Coastal wetlands are areas bordering coastlines.
 They are closely linked to some estuaries, where the sea water
mixes with the fresh water bodies to form an environment of
varying salinities.

 The Coastal wetlands include:

 Tidal salt marshes
 Tidal freshwater marshes
 Mangrove wetlands

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 Wetland Ecosystem

Source: https://link.springer.com/

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 Wetland Ecosystem

 Components of Wetland Ecosystem

 Abiotic components (Water, soil, nutrients, etc)
 Biotic components (Flora and Fauna)
 Structure of Wetland Ecosystem
 Biomass, soils, flora (trees, reeds, shrubs) fauna (fish, birds,
macro invertebrates, microfauna), water (surface, underground,
minerals, etc)
 Processes
 Photosynthesis, transpiration, biogeochemical cycling,
decomposition, colonization, succession, etc.

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 Functions of Wetlands

 Trapping and filtering sediments, nutrients, and

pollutants, which keep these materials from entering
lakes, reservoirs and oceans.
 Reducing the likelihood of a food, protecting agriculture,
roads, buildings, and human health and safety.
 Protecting shorelines against erosion.
 Providing habitat for rare, and endangered plants and
animals
 Providing recreational areas for activities such as fishing,
bird watching, hiking, photography and painting.

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 Benefits/Uses of Wetlands
 Wetlands are valuable because they often support diverse
 species of plants, wildlife, insects and fish. Many endangered
species inhabit wetlands during part of their life cycles
 They are often referred to as “nature’s kidneys” because they
retain and cycle nutrients from the soil and water.
 Amphibians like frogs and salamanders often rely on
wetland areas for mating, laying eggs and early development
of young.
 Wetlands are important for flood reduction and control.
 Wetlands also help reduce erosion by trapping soil that is
washed off of farm fields and other open areas.

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 Common threats to wetlands
 Area development. Because of their fertile soil and location,
many wetland areas are desirable for farming, business and
housing developments.
 Other threats come from fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides
that are applied to surrounding areas and washed into
wetlands with storm water.
 Modern Tools to detect the threats
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used to locate
potential wetland restoration and enhancement sites. It also
identifies the type of wetland that could be restored or
enhanced as well as the type of disturbance that has occurred
at each site.

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 Conservation of Wetland Ecosystem

 The Wetlands Conservation Plan has several components:

 a wetlands inventory;
 functional assessment;
 wetland restoration;
 agency coordination;
 coastal area wetland policies;
 local land-use planning.

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 ua
q
Asy stem
o
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 The aquatic ecosystem deals with water bodies. The major

types of organism found in aquatic environments are
determined by the water’s salinity.
 Types of aquatic life zone
 Aquatic life zones are divided into two types.
 Fresh water life zones
 Examples :Ponds, streams, lakes, rivers.
 Salt water life zones
 Examples :Oceans, estuaries.

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 Lake Ecosystem
Lakes are large natural shallow water bodies. Lakes are
used for various purposes. Lakes are supplied with water from
rainfall, melting snow and streams.
 Characteristics of lake ecosystem
1.Lake is a shallow fresh water body;
2.It is a permanent water body with large Water resources.
3.It helps in irrigation and drinking.

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 Structure and Function of lake ecosystem

I. Abiotic components: Temperature, light, proteins and

lipids, O 2 CO 2

 Biotic Consumers:
 Producers: They are green plants, may. be submerged,
free floating and amphibious plants.
Examples: Phytoplankton's, algae and flagellates.

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  Consumers
 Primary Consumers (Zooplanktons):They feed on
phytoplankton. Examples: Cilictes, protozoans, etc.,
 Secondary consumers (carnivores) : They feed on
zooplankton. Examples: Insects and small fishes.
 Tertiary consumers: They feed on smaller fish
Examples: Large fishes like game fish.
 Decomposers
 They decompose the dead plants and animals
Examples: Bacteria, fungi and aclinonrcetes.

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 Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/

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 River (or) Stream Ecosystem
 The running water of a stream or a river is usually well
oxygenated, because it absorb’s oxygen from the air. The
number of animals are low in river or stream.
 Characteristics of River or Stream.
 It is a fresh water, and free flowing water systems.
 Due to mixing of water, dissolved oxygen content is.
more.
 River deposits large amount of nutrients.

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 Structure and function of River/Stream
Ecosystem
I. Abiotic components Examples : River, Light,
Temperature, Chemistry, Substrate
II.Biotic Components
• Producers: Phytoplankton, algae, water grasses, aquatic
masses other amphibious plants.
 Consumers
(i)Primary consumers: They feed on phytoplankton.
Examples : Water insects, snails, fishes:
(ii)Secondary consumers: They feed on primary
consumers Examples : Birds
• Decomposers: They decomposes the dead animals and
plants. Examples :Bacteria and fungi.

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 Ocean (marine) Ecosystems
•Oceans cover more than two thirds of the earth’s surface.
Ocean environment is characterized by its high
concentration of salts and minerals. It supplies huge
variety of products and drugs. It also provides us iron,
magnesium, iron, natural gas.
 Characteristics of Ocean Ecosystem
1. It occupies a large surface area with saline water.
2.Since ship, submarines can sail in ocean, commercial
activities may be earned out.
3. It is rich in biodiversity.
4. It moderates the- temperature

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 Structure and function Ecosystems
Abiotic Components: Ex: Temp, light, NaCl, K, Ca,& Mg salts.
 Biotic Components:
 Producers: Phytoplankton's (diatoms, unicellular algae, etc) &
marine plants (sea weeds, chlorophycela, phaeophyceae).
 Consumers: These are heterotrophic macro consumers. They
depend on producers for their nutrition.
 Primary consumers (herbivores) :They feed on producers
Examples :Crustaceans, moiluscs, fish
 Secondary consumers (carnivores) : They feed on herbivores.
Examples :Herring sahd, mackerel, etc.,
 Tertiary Consumers: They are the top consumers. They feed
on small. Examples :Cod, Haddock, -etc.,
 Decomposers: They decompose the dead organic matter.
Examples: Bacteria and some fungi.

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 Ocean Ecosystem

• Ocean Ecosystem are more stable than pond ecosystem,

they occupy 70 % of the earth surface.
• Abiotic Components: Dissolved oxygen, light,
temperature, minerals.
 Biotic Components:
 Producers: These are autotrophs and are also known
Primary producers. They are mainly, some microscopic
algae (phyto- planlanktons) besides them there are
mainly, seaweeds, as brown and red algae also
contribute to primary production.

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 Ocean Ecosystem

 Consumers: They are all heterotrophic macro

consumers
• Primary Consumer: The herbivores, that feed on
producers are shrimps, Molluscs, fish, etc.
• Secondary Consumers: These are carnivores fish as
Herring, Shad, Mackerel, feeding on herbivores.
• Tertiary Consumers: These includes, other carnivores
fishes like, COD, Halibut, Sea Turtle, Sharks etc.
 Decomposers: The microbes active in the decay of dead
organic matter of producers, and animals are chiefly,
bacteria and some fungi

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 Ocean Ecosystem

Source: https://www.tes.com/

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 Certainty Based Marking Questions
1. Wetland ecosystem is
(a) Combined land and aquatic ecosystem
(b) Ponds and lakes.
(c) Tropical forest.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a)
2. Biome is:
(a) Large land community with uniform plant species
(b) marine ecosystem
(c) tropical forest
(d) All of these
Ans. (a)
3. Which of the following statements are false?
(e) Inorganic nutrients are recycled in an ecosystem.
(f) Energy flows through the ecosystem in the form of C-C bonds
(g) Energy is recycled in an ecosystem
(h) Respiration process releases energy.
Ans. (c)

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 Recalling of Earlier Concepts
Environment and Environmental Studies:
Ecology and Ecosystems
• Structure and Functions of:
• Forest ecosystem
• Desert ecosystem
• Wetland ecosystem
• Aquatic ecosystem which includes:
• Riverine ecosystem
• Oceanic ecosystem and Lake ecosystem
• Components of various ecosystems and flow of food chain in
each ecosystem.

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 Contents

Biodiversity
Types, Value; Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity, Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

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 Biodiversity
 Biodiversity is the variety and differences among living
organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and
other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of
which they are a part.

 It is virtually synonymous with “Life on earth”.

 Biologists most often define "biological diversity" or

"biodiversity" as the "totality of genes, species, and
ecosystems of a region".

 The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many

millions of distinct biological species, which is the product
of nearly 3.5 billion years of evolution.

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 Levels of Biodiversity

 Genetic diversity
 It is a level of biodiversity that refers to the total number of
genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species.
 It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes
the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary.
 Species diversity
 It refers to the variety of species within a region.
 Species diversity is an index that incorporates the number of
species in an area and also their relative abundance.
 It is generally a much more useful value than species
richness.

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 Community and Ecosystem diversity
 Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity of a place at the
level of ecosystems. This has 3 perspective:
 Alpha Diversity: Within community diversity. Alpha
diversity refers to the diversity of organisms sharing the
same Community/Habitat.
 Beta Diversity: Between community diversity. It refers to
the diversity of organisms sharing two habitats.
 Gamma Diversity: Diversity of the habitat over the total
landscape or geographical area is called gamma diversity.

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 Values of Biodiversity
 Food: About 80,000 edible plants and about 90% of present day
food crops have been domesticated from wild.

 Drugs & Medicines: About 75% of world’s population depends

on plants or plant extracts.

 Fuel: Forests have been used since ages for fuel wood. Fossil
fuels are also products of Biodiversity.

 Social Value: Many of the plants like Tulsi, Lotus, Peepal etc are
considered holy and sacred.
 India’s position is 10th in the world & 4th in Asia in terms of
Plant diversity.

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 Hot- Spots of Biodiversity

 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a

significant reservoir of biodiversity that is threatened with
destruction.
 An area is designated as a hot spot when it contains at least
0.5% of plant species as endemic.
 There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level,
out of which two are present in India.
 These are: Indo- Burma (earlier The Eastern Himalayas) ,The
western Ghats & Sri Lanka..
 These hot spots covering less than 2% of the world’s land area
are found to have about 50% of the terrestrial biodiversity.

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  E.g. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, also known as the “Sahyadri
Hills” encompasses the montane forests in the southwestern
parts of India and on the neighboring Islands of Sri Lanka.
 The entire extent of hotspot was originally about 1,82,500
square kms, but due to tremendous population pressure, now
only 12,445 square Km or 6.8% is in pristine condition.
 The important populations include Asian elephant, Indian
tigers and the endangered lion tailed macaque.

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 Threats to Biodiversity

 In last century, human impact has been so severe that thousands of

species and varieties are becoming extinct annually.
 Some of the main causes are:
 Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation.
 Habitat loss & degradation are major causes of species extinction,
affecting 89% of all threatened birds, 83% of mammals & 91% of
all threatened plants assessed globally (IUCN, 2000)
 According to ICUN, UNEP report, more than 50% of wildlife
habitat has been destroyed in 49 out of 61 old world tropical
countries.

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 Conservation of Biodiversity

 The convention on Biological Diversity held in June, 1992

stressed the need of the conservation of Biodiversity for
sustainable development and perpetuation of human beings on
earth.
 Conservation is defined as “ the management of human use of
the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable
benefit to the present generation while maintaining its potential
to meet the needs and aspirations of the future generations”.

 The two basic approaches to wildlife conservation in protected

habitats are:
 1) In- situ conservation 2) Ex- situ conservation.

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 In- situ conservation

 It simply means conservation of species in its natural ecosystem

or even in man made ecosystems.
 This strategy emphasizes protection of total ecosystem through a
network of “protected area”.
 Protected Areas: an area of land and/or sea specially dedicated to
the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and
managed through legal effective means.
 Protected areas include; Biosphere reserves, National parks, Wild
Life Sanctuaries etc.
 At present we have 11 major biosphere reserves, 80 National
parks, 420 wildlife sanctuaries in our country covering 4% of the
geographic area. Eg. Jim Corbett national park in India

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 Ex- situ conservation

 It is defined as “the conservation of component of biological

diversity (Sample of genetic diversity, particularly of
endangered species) outside their natural habitats”
 It involves maintenance and breeding of endangered plant and
animal species under partially or wholly controlled conditions.
E.g. Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Aquaria, Nurseries, DNA bank,
Seed bank, Gene bank etc
 There are more than 1500 Botanical gardens in the world
containing more than 80,000 species.
 There are more than 800 zoos around the world with about
3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

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 Natural Resources
 Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are
considered valuable in their relatively natural form.

 For example:- forest, mineral deposit, or fresh water that is

found in nature and is necessary or useful to humans.

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 Classification of Natural Resources
 On the basis of origin
 Biotic (Organic):Biotic resources are obtained from the
biosphere, such as forests and their products, animals, birds and
their products, fish and other marine organisms. Mineral fuels
such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category
because they formed from decayed organic matter.

 Abiotic (Inorganic):Abiotic resources include non-living things.

Examples include land, water, air and ores such as gold, iron,
copper, silver etc.

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 Considering their stage of development

 Potential: Potential resources are those that exist in a region and

may be used in the future. For example, petroleum may exist in
many parts of India, having sedimentary rocks but until the time it
is actually drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential
resource.
 Actual: Actual Resources are those that have been surveyed, their
quantity and quality determined and are being used in present
times. For ex, Wood from forest
On the basis of utility
 Food Resources: Fruits, vegetables, pulses, etc.
 Energy Resources: Sunlight, Air, Water, etc.

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 With respect of renewability

 Renewable: or inexhaustible natural resources are ones that can

be restocked or reproduced easily. Some of them, like sunlight,
air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity is not
affected by human consumption.
 Non – Renewable: or exhaustible natural resources: these are
formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and fossil
fuels are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is
extremely slow, they can not be replenished once they get
depleted.

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 Certainty Based Marking Questions
1. Genetic variation between distinct populations of the same species is known as:
(a) Species diversity
(b) Ecosystem diversity
(c) Genetic diversity.
(d) Biodiversity.
Ans. (c)
2. Spot the site, which is not a biodiversity hotspot:
(a) Brazil’s Cerrado
(b) Central Chile
(c) California Floristic Province
(d) Pakistan
Ans. (d)
3. Which of the following is a biodiversity hotspot in India?
(e) Gulf of Mannar
(f) Western Ghats
(g) Pachmarhi
(h) Sunderbans
Ans. (b)

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 Forest resources
 Forests are the most important resource of our globe.

 forests are found in each parts of globe - where the factors of

plant growth have been ideal for several centuries. For this
reason, they are mostly found in regions of high rainfall and
regions of high altitude.

 The usefulness of forests is spread to commercial exploitation of

forest for timber and other products, maintenance of birds and
wildlife, maintenance of ecological balance, prevention of soil
erosion, etc.

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 Over exploitation of Forest Resources
 Overexploitation is also called as over harvesting of
natural resources
 The term can be appliedto various natural
resources such as medicinal plants, grazing fields, fish stocks,
forests and even water.

 Reasons for over exploitation of forest resources

 Excessive use of -
 Timber ,fuel wood and charcoal.
 Expansion of urban, agricultural and industrial
areas. (real-estate dev.)

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  Wood for making houses.
 The fluctuations in the oil prices made many rural
communities to use biomass and wood as source of fuel
which again led to deforestation.
 Due to ever growing population in developing countries needs
more land. So they started cutting down forests for clear land.
 Demand for food in highly populated countries is very high.
To fulfill this, many forest areas are cleared for cultivation
and other farming activities.
 During many military operations for killing enemies forests
are cleared in order to see people more clearly prior to killing.

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 Deforestation

Source: freepick.com

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 Deforestation
 Deforestation is the clearance of forests by cutting down and/or
burning of forests.
 It is reckless demolition of plants and trees.
 It is the cutting down of forests for commercial use without
planting new one in lieu their of.
 It is the result of over exploitation of forest resources.

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 Causes of deforestation
 Fuel requirements: Increasing demands for fuel wood by the
growing population in India.

 Raw materials for industrial use: Wood for making boxes,

furniture, railway-sleepers, plywood, match boxes, pulp for
paper industry etc. have exerted tremendous pressure on forests.

 Development projects: Massive destruction of forests occur for

various development projects like hydroelectric projects, big
dams, road construction, mining etc.

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 Causes of Deforestation

 Growing food needs: In developing countries this is the

main reason for deforestation. To meet the demands of
rapidly growing population, agricultural lands and
settlements are created permanently by clearing forests.
 Some other reasons are:
 Clearing forests for oil and mining exploitation; to make
highways and roads;
 slash and burn farming techniques; wildfires; and acid rain.

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 Effects of deforestation
 Erosion of Soil
 When forest areas are cleared, it results in exposing the soil to the
sun, making it very dry and eventually, infertile, due to volatile
nutrients such as nitrogen being lost.
 when there is rainfall, it washes away the rest of the nutrients,
which flow with the rainwater into waterways
 Due to above reasons, replanting trees may not help in solving the
problems caused by deforestation, because by the time the trees
get mature, the soil will be totally devoid of essential nutrients.
 Ultimately, cultivation in this land will also become impossible,
resulting in the land becoming useless.

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  Disruption of the Water Cycle
 Trees contribute in a large way in maintaining the water cycle.
 They draw up water via their roots, which are then released into
the atmosphere.
 When these trees are cut down it results in the climate
getting drier in that area.
 Flooding and Drought
 One of the vital functions of forests is to absorb and store great
amounts of water quickly when there are heavy rains.
 When forests are cut down, this regulation of the flow of water
is disrupted, which leads to alternating periods of flood and then
drought in the affected area.

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 Climate Change
 Global warming is being caused largely due to emissions of
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
 When deforestation occurs, many of the trees are burnt or they
are allowed to decay, which results in releasing the carbon that is
stored in them as carbon dioxide. This, in turn, leads to greater
concentrations of carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere.

 Miscellaneous reasons
 It threatens the existence of many wild life species due to
destruction of their natural habitat.
 In hilly areas it often leads to landslides.

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 Preventive Measures of Deforestation
 Plant a tree.
 Use less paper.
 Recycle paper and cardboard.
 Use recycled products.
 Buy only sustainable wood products.
 Don't buy products containing palm oil.
 Reduce meat consumption.
 Do not burn firewood excessively.
 Raise awareness
 Go green.

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 SELF ASSESSMENT LINK

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 Self- Assessment Link on Module 1
Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 The below link covers the multiple choice questions on
ecosystems and biodiversity

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=TwEM7v
B2UEy6eTUVeQV7lna2NdNCGpZCtmYw_eJRhvtUNjBFTEdT
QjhKQ0syUE5XNUxENDBPUUtQNS4u

 Expected Outcome: After attending the self assessment,

students will be able to Recall the basic concepts on
ecosystem and biodiversity with related to its current
scenario

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 UNIVERSITY/ DESCRIPTIVE
QUESTIONS

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 Descriptive Questions on Module 1
Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 Describe the components of environment and their major
interactions.
 Explain the importance of protecting the biodiversity of earth?
 Identify and explain the present day major threats to the
biodiversity of India.
 Write the causes and explain the impacts of deforestation.

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 TOPIC OF MISMATCH IN THE CURRICULAM OF
MVJCE AND NPTEL LINK
 https://nptel.ac.in/courses/127/106/127106004/
 Time (10:01 to 25:55)
 The above link covers the topics of:
 ecosystems,
 energy flow and
 Biodiversity
 Expected Outcome: After undergoing the NPTEL lecture
students will be able to restate the relationship of ecosystems
with their energy flow among various trophic levels.
 Also, they will be able to illustrate the concepts of
Biodiversity

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 FDP Content Link
 The below link on FDP covers the concepts of environment
and environmental management system:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A0d7plMc9STC9dyc3KueqIc
CA-KQIvTw/view?usp=sharing

 Expected Outcome: after viewing to the above content the

students will be able to have an insight on environmental audit
and structure and policy of EMS.

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 Case study

Chipko Movement
Silent Valley Movement

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 Case Study on Deforestation
 Chipko Movement
 Sunderlal Bahuguna is one of the most famous and early
environmentalists of India.
 He was the leader of the famous Chipko movement. He has spent a large
portion of his life fighting for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas.
 The movement which was started in April 1973 in Reni village in
Garhwal to protect the trees by hugging them and not allowing cutting of
these trees was called Chipko Andolan.
 The Chipko movement quickly spread across communities and media,
and forced the government, to whom the forest belongs, to rethink their
priorities in the name of forest produce.
 Due to the participation of local people, it led to the efficient management
of forests.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djbcALTOyUs

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 Chipko Movement

Source: numadic.org

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 Case Study on Deforestation
 Silent Valley Movement
 Silent Valley, occupying an area of 8950 hectares at an altitude
of 3000 feet in Palaghat district of Kerala, is perhaps, the only
remaining undisturbed tropical rainforest in Indian peninsula.
 History of the silent Valley movement is related with the
proposed construction of a river valley
 project to fetch the need of electricity and irrigation to the
people of an area.
 From the beginning, the project was started, it was opposed by
many NGOs and environmentalists as it could cause serious
damage to this 'cradle of evolution'- the home to many rare
and unique species of plants and animals.

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 Silent Valley Movement

 With the intervention of Friends of Trees society, the

controversy of the proposed hydel project was over in 1979
and it was declared as a National Park by the then prime
minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
 The Proposal was seriously criticized by Kerala Shastra
Sahitya Parishad -coming the forefront of the campaign to
save Silent Valley.
 This ecologically fragile area storing rich stock of biodiversity
has been declared as biosphere reserve and now is under
category of Hot Spot.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TBrEVM1fXw
 Watch the beauty of Silicon Valley , Kerala

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 Silent Valley Movement

Source: conservationindia.org

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 Innovative Content Link
 The above link discusses about the recent innovations in the
field of environmental sciences:

 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-scie
nces/environmental-science

 Expected Outcome: After viewing the above link the students

will be able to identify the current hotspots of environmental
studies and will be helpful for undergoing research in the
future.

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 References

 BOOKS
 Environmental Studies - Benny Joseph - Tata Mc Graw – Hill.
- 2nd Edition, 2012
 Environmental Studies - S M Prakash - Pristine Publishing
House, Mangalore - 3rd Edition, 2018
 Environmental Studies – From Crisis to Cure - R Raja
Gopalan - Oxford Publisher 2005
 Environmental Studies – Anil Kumar De and Arnab Kumar De
– New age International Publishers – 2nd Edition, 2011

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 References

 JOURNALS
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
294657920_Biodiversity_and_its_conservation
 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-0149-
0_12
 WEBSITES
 http://www.brainkart.com/article/Biodiversity_7443/
 http://www.brainkart.com/article/Definitions-and-Scope-of-
Environmental-Science_7433/
 https://www.tes.com/lessons/hnzD-giwowyOPQ/ocean-food-
web
 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/
hs-ecology/trophic-levels/a/hs-trophic-levels-review

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MVJ College of Engineering
Near ITPB, Whitefield
Bangalore-560 067 Thank You
M: [email protected]
P: +91 80 4299 1040

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