SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN TANAH PUTIH

ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEM
BIOLOGY FORM 4

Cikgu: Pn. Suhana Bt. Sulaiman

INTRODUCTION

The story of the ecosystem on our planet has never been more crucial and
relevant than it is today. In an era of climate change, desertification, sea level rise,
acid rain, greenhouse effect, thinning ozone layer and widespread pollution,
ecosystem quality is becoming more critical by the minute. The global forces of
extraction and expansion are jeopardizing the very substance that supports life on
our planet.

There is great truth to

the adage that we are all
downstream from one
another. The midwestern
United States is
downstream from the coal-
fired power plants of China.
The rising tides inundating
the Sundarban Islands of
India are downstream from
the carbon emissions of
billions of cars around the
world. And we are all
literally downstream from
the melting of the polar ice
caps. How we manage our
water resources has implications for many of the critical issues we face—from
women as primary water gatherers, subsistence farming, and the health and balance
of wildlife systems, to water refugees, the health of children, and the spreading of
disease. Unfortunately, these connections are not well understood by the general
public, whose choices as individuals and as a collective can contribute to either the
degradation or the conservation of our water.

Environment is defined as the surroundings in which the organism lives. The

environment may be the physical environment, the chemical environment or the
biological environment. Thus, the environment has two components - abiotic and
biotic.

EndangeredEcosystem | 1
 CONTENTS
Human Activities That Endanger an Ecosystem
 Human activities that threaten the ecosystem.
 The Effects of Unplanned Development and Mismanagement of the
Ecosystem
 Pollution
Air pollution
Water pollution
Thermal pollution
Noise pollution

The Greenhouse Effect and Thinning of the Ozone Layer

 The greenhouse effect.
 The thinning of the ozone layer.
 Impact of global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer on the
ecosystem.

The Importance of Proper Management of Development Activities and the

Ecosystem

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Human Activities That Endanger an Ecosystem
 Human activities that threaten the ecosystem.

The world’s population might reach to 10 billion in the next fifty years. Hence,
when there are increments in the number of the world’s population, it generally
means that there is an increasing demand for shelter, food, medicine, transport and
raw materials.

Today, due to expectation of modern living and industrial revolution, the world has
to confront the destruction of forests to build more houses, to being use as
plantation areas and to build roads; just to fulfill humans’ needs.

Unplanned developments and mismanagement of ecosystem give rise to vast

amounts of environmental crisis. Among those environmental problems are
greenhouse effect, global warming, pollution, soil erosion, landslide, flash floods
and ozone depletion.

The human activities that we are talking about are mainly agriculture, burning or
combustion, industrialisation, urbanisation and last but not least,
deforestation.

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 Human activities that
threaten the
ecosystem.

Deforestation Burning
Industrialisation
Soil erosion Air pollution Urbanisation Farming
pollution
Landslides Greenhouse Pollution pollution
Flash floods effect

Extinction of flora
and fauna
Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Climatic Changes

 The Effects of Unplanned Development and Mismanagement of the

Ecosystem

Human activities made many drawbacks to the environment. Whether we like them
or not, these cons of the human activities have made all of us now leaving in a
hardship. The impacts can now be clearly seen by looking at our devastating
environment conditions.

Development that is carried out without good planning has the following effects on
the ecosystem : -

Soil Erosion
• Soil erosion is the thinning of the soil layer due to the removal of the surface
soil by the agents of erosion such as wind, water flow and uncntrolled
human and animal activities.

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 • With vegetation removed, the topsoil is exposed to the elements ( rain and
wind.)
• The thin layer of topsoil is easily eroded by flowing waters.

Causes

The rate of erosion depends on many factors. Climatic factors include the amount
and intensity of precipitation, the average temperature, as well as the typical
temperature range, and seasonality, the wind speed, storm frequency. The geologic
factors include the sediment or rock type, its porosity and permeability, the slope
(gradient) of the land, and whether the rocks are tilted, faulted, folded, or
weathered. The biological factors include ground cover from vegetation or lack
thereof, the type of organisms inhabiting the area, and the land use.

In general, given similar vegetation and ecosystems, areas with high-intensity

precipitation, more frequent rainfall, more wind, or more storms are expected to
have more erosion. Sediment with high sand or silt contents and areas with steep
slopes erode more easily, as do areas with highly fractured or weathered rock.
Porosity and permeability of the sediment or rock affect the speed with which the
water can percolate into the ground. If the water moves underground, less runoff is
generated, reducing the amount of surface erosion. Sediments containing more clay
tend to erode less than those with sand or silt. Here, however, the impact of
atmospheric sodium on erodibility of clay should be considered.[3]

The factor that is most subject to change is the amount and type of ground cover.
In an undisturbed forest, the mineral soil is protected by a litter layer and an
organic layer. These two layers protect the soil by absorbing the impact of rain
drops. These layers and the underlying soil in a forest are porous and highly
permeable to rainfall. Typically, only the most severe rainfall and large hailstorm
EndangeredEcosystem | 5
events will lead to overland flow in a forest. If the trees are removed by fire or
logging, infiltration rates become high and erosion low to the degree the forest
floor remains intact. Severe fires can lead to significantly increased erosion if
followed by heavy rainfall. In the case of construction or road building, when the
litter layer is removed or compacted, the susceptibility of the soil to erosion is
greatly increased.

Roads are especially likely to cause increased rates of erosion because, in addition
to removing ground cover, they can significantly change drainage patterns,
especially if an embankment has been made to support the road. A road that has a
lot of rock and one that is "hydrologically invisible" (that gets the water off the
road as quickly as possible, mimicking natural drainage patterns) has the best
chance of not causing increased erosion.

Many human activities remove vegetation from an area, making the soil easily
eroded. Logging can cause increased erosion rates due to soil compaction,
exposure of mineral soil, for example roads and landings. However it is the
removal of or compromise to the forest floor not the removal of the canopy that
can lead to erosion. This is because rain drops striking tree leaves coalesce with
other rain drops creating larger drops. When these larger drops fall (called
throughfall) they again may reach terminal velocity and strike the ground with
more energy then had they fallen in the open. Terminal velocity of rain drops is
reached in about 8 meters. Because forest canopies are usually higher than this,
leaf drop can regain terminal velocity. However, the intact forest floor, with its
layers of leaf litter and organic matter, absorbs the impact of the rainfall.[4]

Heavy grazing can reduce vegetation enough to increase erosion. Changes in the
kind of vegetation in an area can also affect erosion rates. Different kinds of
vegetation lead to different infiltration rates of rain into the soil. Forested areas
have higher infiltration rates, so precipitation will result in less surface runoff,
which erodes. Instead much of the water will go in subsurface flows, which are
generally less erosive. Leaf litter and low shrubs are an important part of the high
infiltration rates of forested systems, the removal of which can increase erosion
rates. Leaf litter also shelters the soil from the impact of falling raindrops, which is
a significant agent of erosion. Vegetation can also change the speed of surface
runoff flows, so grasses and shrubs can also be instrumental in this aspect.

One of the main causes of erosive soil loss in the year 2006 is the result of slash
and burn treatment of tropical forest. When the total ground surface is stripped of

EndangeredEcosystem | 6
vegetation and then seared of all living organisms, the upper soils are vulnerable to
both wind and water erosion. In a number of regions of the earth, entire sectors of a
country have been rendered unproductive. For example, on the Madagascar high
central plateau, comprising approximately ten percent of that country's land area,
virtually the entire landscape is sterile of vegetation, with gully erosive furrows
typically in excess of 50 meters deep and one kilometer wide. Shifting cultivation
is a farming system which sometimes incorporates the slash and burn method in
some regions of the world. This degrades the soil and causes the soil to become
less and less fertile.

Effects

Approximately 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded.[5]

According to the UN, an area of fertile soil the size of Ukraine is lost every year
because of drought, deforestation and climate change.[6] In Africa, if current trends
of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its
population by 2025, according to UNU's Ghana-based Institute for Natural
Resources in Africa.[7]

When land is overused by animal activities (including humans), there can be

mechanical erosion and also removal of vegetation leading to erosion. In the case
of the animal kingdom, this effect would become material primarily with very
large animal herds stampeding such as the Blue Wildebeest on the Serengeti plain.
Even in this case there are broader material benefits to the ecosystem, such as
continuing the survival of grasslands, that are indigenous to this region. This effect
may be viewed as anomalous or a problem only when there is a significant
imbalance or overpopulation of one species.

In the case of human use, the effects are also generally linked to overpopulation.
When large number of hikers use trails or extensive off road vehicle use occurs,
erosive effects often follow, arising from vegetation removal and furrowing of foot
traffic and off road vehicle tires. These effects can also accumulate from a variety
of outdoor human activities, again simply arising from too many people using a
finite land resource.

One of the most serious and long-running water erosion problems worldwide is in
the People's Republic of China, on the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the
upper reaches of the Yangtze River. From the Yellow River, over 1.6 billion tons

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of sediment flows into the ocean each year. The sediment originates primarily from
water erosion in the Loess Plateau region of the northwest.

Flash Floods

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers,

dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm,
hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over icesheets
or snowfields. Flash floods can also occur after the collapse of a natural ice or
debris dam, or a human structure such as a man-made dam

Flash flooding occurs when a barrier holding back water fails or when water falls
too quickly on saturated soil or dry soil that has poor absorption ability. The runoff
collects in low-lying areas and rapidly flows downhill. Flash floods most often
occur in normally dry areas that have recently received precipitation, but may be
seen anywhere downstream from the source of the precipitation, even dozens of
miles from the source. In areas on or near volcanoes, flash floods have also
occurred after eruptions, when glaciers have been melted by the intense heat.

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Landslides

Landslides occur when the stability of a slope changes from a stable to an unstable
condition. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of
factors, acting together or alone. Natural causes of landslides include:

 groundwater (porewater) pressure acting to destabilize the slope

 Loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and soil
structure (e.g. after a wildfire)
 erosion of the toe of a slope by rivers or ocean waves
 weakening of a slope through saturation by snowmelt, glaciers melting, or
heavy rains
 earthquakes adding loads to barely-stable slope
 earthquake-caused liquefaction destabilizing slopes
 volcanic eruptions

landslides are aggravated by human activities, Human causes

include:deforestation, cultivation and construction, which destabilize the already
fragile slopes

 vibrations from machinery or traffic

 blasting
 earthwork which alters the shape of a slope, or which imposes new loads on
an existing slope
 in shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted vegetation that binds colluvium
to bedrock
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  Construction, agricultural or forestry activities (logging) which change the
amount of
water which
infiltrates
the soil.

Deforestation

Deforestation is the clearance of forests by logging and/or burning (popularly

known as slash and burn).

Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as, or
sold, for fuel or as a commodity, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock,
plantations of commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without
sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and
aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently
degrade into wasteland.

Disregard or ignorance of intrinsic value, lack of ascribed value, lax forest

management and deficient environmental laws are some of the factors that allow
deforestation to occur on a large scale. In many countries, deforestation is an
ongoing issue that is causing extinction, changes to climatic conditions,
desertification, and displacement of indigenous people.

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  Pollution

Air Pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological
materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or
damages the natural environment into the atmosphere.

Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world's worst
pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places
report.

Air pollution is responsible for major health effects.  Every year, the health of
countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways.  Just
how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what
concentrations, and for how long.

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Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide also have harmful
effects on natural ecosystems.  They can kill plants and trees by destroying their
leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers.

 Air pollution is responsible for major health effects.  Every year, the health
of countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.

 Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways. 
Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed
to, in what concentrations, and for how long.

 Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US
alone could be over 50,000.

 Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution. 

Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk.  Children and
infants are also at serious risk.

 Because people are exposed to so many potentially dangerous pollutants, it

is often hard to know exactly which pollutants are responsible for causing
sickness.  Also, because a mixture of different pollutants can intensify
sickness, it is often difficult to isolate those pollutants that are at fault.

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  Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming
apparent for a long time.  Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart
disease may all eventually appear in people exposed to air pollution.

 Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide also have
harmful effects on natural ecosystems.  They can kill plants and trees by
destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly
polluted rivers.

Water Pollution

Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted.  This is the result of
both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally
dumped by industries.

The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits water-
based ecosystems.  Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind
up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat.

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Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well.  Pollutants such as lead and
cadmium are eaten by tiny animals.  Later, these animals are consumed by fish and
shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.

Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well.  People can get diseases
such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.

Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution.  Many areas

are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution is coming
back to hurt humans.

 Boston Harbor is a strong example of how badly pollution can damage

bodies of water.  The water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and
routinely receives more waste when rainfall pushes it into the harbor.

 Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted.  This is the result
of both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or
illegally dumped by industries.

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 The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits
water-based ecosystems.  Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals
often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat.

 Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well.  Pollutants such as lead and
cadmium are eaten by tiny animals.  Later, these animals are consumed by
fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher
levels.

 Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well.  People can get
diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.

 Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution.  Many

areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution
is coming back to hurt humans.

Thermal Pollution

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Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes
ambient water temperature.

A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power

plants and industrial manufacturers. When water used as a coolant is returned to
the natural environment at a higher temperature, the change in temperature (a)
decreases oxygen supply, and (b) affects ecosystem composition. Urban runoff--
stormwater discharged to surface waters from roads and parking lots--can also be a
source of elevated water temperatures

Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in

water. The decrease in levels of DO can harm aquatic animals such as fish,
amphibians and copepods. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate
of aquatic animals, as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming
more food in a shorter time than if their environment were not changed. An
increased metabolic rate may result in fewer resources; the more adapted
organisms moving in may have an advantage over organisms that are not used to
the warmer temperature. As a result one has the problem of compromising food
chains of the old and new environments. Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.

It is known that temperature changes of even one to two degrees Celsius can cause
significant changes in organism metabolism and other adverse cellular biology
effects. Principal adverse changes can include rendering cell walls less permeable
to necessary osmosis, coagulation of cell proteins, and alteration of enzyme
metabolism. These cellular level effects can adversely affect mortality and
reproduction.

Primary producers are affected by warm water because higher water temperature
increases plant growth rates, resulting in a shorter lifespan and species
overpopulation. This can cause an algae bloom which reduces oxygen levels.

EndangeredEcosystem | 16
 Noise Pollution
Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human, animal or
machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal
life. The word noise comes from the Latin word nauseas, meaning seasickness.

The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly construction and

transportation systems, including motor vehicle noise, aircraft noise and rail noise.
Poor urban planning may give
rise to noise pollution, since
side-by-side industrial and
residential buildings can result
in noise pollution in the
residential area.

Indoor and outdoor noise

pollution sources include car
alarms, emergency service
sirens, mechanical equipment,
fireworks, compressed air
horns, groundskeeping
equipment, barking dogs,
appliances, lighting hum, audio
entertainment systems, electric
megaphones, and loud people.

Human health

Main article: Noise health effects

Noise health effects are both health and behavioral in nature. The unwanted sound
is called noise. This unwanted sound can damage physiological and psychological
health. Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high
stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects.
Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems,
whereas tinnitus can lead to forgetfulness, severe depression and at times panic
attacks.

Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss. Older males
exposed to significant occupational noise demonstrate significantly reduced

EndangeredEcosystem | 17
hearing sensitivity than their non-exposed peers, though differences in hearing
sensitivity decrease with time and the two groups are indistinguishable by age 79.
A comparison of Maaban tribesmen, who were insignificantly exposed to
transportation or industrial noise, to a typical U.S. population showed that chronic
exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise contributes to hearing
loss.

High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects and exposure to

moderately high levels during a single eight hour period causes a statistical rise in
blood pressure of five to ten points and an increase in stress and vasoconstriction
leading to the increased blood pressure noted above as well as to increased
incidence of coronary artery disease.

Noise pollution is also a cause of annoyance. A 2005 study by Spanish researchers

found that in urban areas households are willing to pay approximately four Euros
per decibel per year for noise reduction.

Environment

Noise can have a detrimental effect on animals by causing stress, increasing risk of
death by changing the delicate balance in predator/prey detection and avoidance,
and by interfering with their use of sounds in communication especially in relation
to reproduction and in navigation. Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or
permanent loss of hearing.[10]

An impact of noise on animal life is the reduction of usable habitat that noisy areas
may cause, which in the case of endangered species may be part of the path to
extinction. Noise pollution has caused the death of certain species of whales that
beached themselves after being exposed to the loud sound of military sonar.[11]

Noise also makes species communicate louder, which is called Lombard vocal
response.[12] Scientists and researchers have conducted experiments that show
whales' song length is longer when submarine-detectors are on.[13] If creatures do
not "speak" loud enough, their voice will be masked by anthropogenic sounds.
These unheard voices might be warnings, finding of prey, or preparations of net-
bubbling. When one species begins speaking louder, it will mask other species'
voice, causing the whole ecosystem to eventually speak louder.

European Robins living in urban environments are more likely to sing at night in
places with high levels of noise pollution during the day, suggesting that they sing
at night because it is quieter, and their message can propagate through the
EndangeredEcosystem | 18
environment more clearly.[14] The same study showed that daytime noise was a
stronger predictor of nocturnal singing than night-time Light pollution, to which
the phenomenon is often attributed.

Zebra finches become less faithful to their partners when exposed to traffic noise.
This could alter a population's evolutionary trajectory by selecting traits, sapping
resources normally devoted to other activities and thus lead to profound genetic
and evolutionary consequences

The Greenhouse Effect and Thinning of the Ozone Layer

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 The greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is the heating of the surface of a planet or moon due
to the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and emit
infrared radiation. Thus, greenhouse gases trap heat within the surface-
troposphere system. This mechanism is fundamentally different from that of
an actual greenhouse, which works by isolating warm air inside the structure
so that
heat is
not
lost
by

convection.

The Earth receives energy from the Sun mostly in the form of visible light
and nearby wavelengths. About 50% of the sun's energy is absorbed at the
Earth's surface. Like all bodies with a temperature above absolute zero the
Earth's surface radiates energy in the infrared range. Greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere absorb most of the infrared radiation emitted by the surface and
pass the absorbed heat to other atmospheric gases through molecular
collisions. The greenhouse gases also radiate in the infrared range. Radiation
EndangeredEcosystem | 20
 is emitted both upward, with part escaping to space, and downward toward
Earth's surface. The surface and lower atmosphere are warmed by the part of
the energy that is radiated downward, making our life on earth possible.

• Occur when greenhouse gases accumulates in the atmosphere to form a layer of

gases
• Greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbon, nitrogen oxides, methane
and water vapour
• The layer of gases trap the Sun’s heat around the world
• Greenhouse effect cause the global warming

 THINNING OZONE LAYER

• Main cause - chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)

• CFC – man made gases used as refrigerant (substance that make things cold or
freeze) and propellants (compressed gas that forces out the content of an aerosol
container)

o CFC when exposed to UV radiation will release chlorine

atom which can break down ozone molecules in chain
reaction causing the ozone layer become thinner

The distribution of ozone in ionosphere, mesosphere and stratosphere is being

depleted. The concentration of ozone is gradually reducing. As the content of
ozone is highest in ionosphere and the air itself being very thin, the depletion is
negligible in ionosphere. But in mesosphere and stratosphere the air is thicker
and ozone content is less. The depletion of ozone is of higher order in these
layers. The so called hole in ozone layers simply means that above some
continents (specifically Antarctica, Asia and parts of South America) the
mesosphere and stratosphere have lost their original level of ozone content.

EndangeredEcosystem | 21
The depletion of ozone layer is a global phenomena both in terms of cause and
effect. The geographical limits of countries are not barriers to either dispersal of
gases in layers of atmosphere or depletion of gases. The causes for depletion
may arise in any country. The effects (in terms of depletion) may arise in any
other country. The effects (in terms of ozone depletion) need not be exactly
above the country causing the depletion.

It is now established that chloroflouro carbon (CFC) chemicals evolved from

various refrigerants, coolants and propellants are the primary reasons for
depletion of ozone. CFC are a group of chlorine bearing gases of low specific
gravity. They rise to stratosphere and mesosphere. Due to ionising solar
radiation in these layers, (which is the primary reason for production of ozone)
fresh chlorine gas is produced from CFCs. This nascent chlorine gas has the
capacity to react with ozone and bring down the level of ozone substantially.

The concept of ozone depletion is new. But study of international ozone trendis
being made
since 1988,
when
international
ozone
commission
was
established.
Extensive
ozone
assessment
facilities were
established
under
International
Middle
Atmospheric

EndangeredEcosystem | 22
 Programme (IMAP) in India to study ozone along with number of other green
house gases.

 Impact of global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer

The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between.
Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree
Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising
temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right
now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not
only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting
animals on the move.

Some impacts from increasing temperatures are already happening.

 Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes

mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and
Arctic sea ice.
 Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on
Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to
11,000 in 30 years.
 Sea level rise became faster over the last century.
 Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to
higher, cooler areas.
 Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.
 Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm
summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees.

Other effects could happen later this century, if warming continues.

 Sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59
centimeters) by the end of the century, and continued melting at the poles
could add between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters).

EndangeredEcosystem | 23
  Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.
 Species that depend on one another may become out of sync. For example,
plants could bloom earlier than their pollinating insects become active.
 Floods and droughts will become more common. Rainfall in Ethiopia, where
droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50
years.
 Less fresh water will be available. If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues
to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of
people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of
either.
 Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
 Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become
more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct.
Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-
1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have
gotten considerably skinnier.  Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a
similar pattern in Hudson Bay.  He fears that if sea ice disappears, the polar
bears will as well.

Ozone depletion and global warming have harmful effects on plants and animals. If
allowed to continue, our food chain will be seriously disrupted. For example,
phytoplantkton are tiny floating algae in the ocean which are the base of the marine
food chain. In
Antarctica, there has
been upwards of 50
percent ozone
depletion. This means
that an unusually high
amount of UV-B
radiation has reached
the Earth's surface in
the Antarctic region.
UV-B harms the
productivity of
phytoplankton, thereby
reducing the available
food for animals that
feed on phytoplankton.
EndangeredEcosystem | 24
Krill eat phytoplankton and penguins eat krill. From a climate change perspective,
phytoplankton normally absorb a lot of carbon from the air. As phytoplankton dies
from UV-B radiation, this carbon is no longer absorbed. This means that more
carbon will be left in the atmosphere, contributing to more global warming. More
global warming can increase ozone depletion, which kills more phytoplankton, and
the process repeats itself.

The Importance of Proper Management of Development Activities and the

Ecosystem

The Human Activities all over the world made by mankind had gave many
impact to the mother nature. The negative effects of hasty, unplanned development
and the mismanagement of the ecosystems result in various environmental
problems such as air and water pollution, the greenhouse effect, global warming,
and the depletion of natural resources. These problems bring about negative effects
that increasingly threaten the economic resources health and survival.

1. The need of development and the effects of an increasing population on the

ecosystem:
 Population of the world always increase, so do their needs
 The needs for more food supplies, water, home has led to development
 These development involves deforestation, the building more dams, and
production of more domestic and industrial waste
 The unmanaged and unplanned development leads to a pollution of
environment
 To reduces the negative effects of developments, human must have efforts to
manage the environment properly

2. The importance of proper management of development activities

 Way to balance the needs for resources with the needs to conserve the
natural resources
 To make a sustainable development without jeopardizing or depleting the
natural resources

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  Ensure that short-term gains be balance with the long-term effects on the
environment
 To exploit natural resources in a sustainable way, so these resources can be
replenish and renewed for future generations to continue to use them
 To minimize the negative effects of development towards the environment

3. Measures taken in the management of development activities

 Implementations of laws
 Uses of technology
 Education on the management of
resources
 Preservation and conservation of
soil
 The practice of biological control
 The use of renewable energy
 The efficient use of technology

4. Implimentations of laws
 Many laws and regulations are
designed to control pollution
which affects the quality of lands,
air and water.
 Examples of the acts:
o The Environment Quality Act, 1974, 1989
o Motor Vehicle Noise Regulations, 1987
o Scheduled Wastes Treatment and Disposal Facilities Regulations,
1989
o Clean Air Regulations, Amendment 2000
o The National Forestry Act, 1984
o The Pesticides Act, 1974
o The Fisheries Act, 1985
o The Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972

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5. Uses of technology
 Install catalytic converters in vehicle to clean un exhaust emissions and
convert harmful gases released to less harmful gases
 Use unleaded petrol to reduce the emissions of leads into environment
 Treat sewage in sewage treatment plants before it’s discharged into the
environment
 Use microorganisms to clean up the environment
 Develop hydrogen-based fuel-cell vehicle to reduce the burning of fossil
fuels

6. Education on the management of resources

 The public must be educated on the concept of the 4R:
o RECYCLE means collecting segregating waste according to the types
of materials and turning this waste into new products
o REUSE means use things such as old plastics containers and bottles
again instead of throwing them away
o REDUCE means cutting down on the use of materials which are non-
biodegradable
o RENEW means to use materials such as bottles and plastic containers
after they are cleaned

7. Recycling is important because:

 Fewer landfills will be needed to dispose of rubbish
 It cuts down the use of resources, for example fewer trees will be cut down
to make paper and furniture
 It saves energy, for example less energy is needed to melt down scrap metal
and use it again than to extract it from the ore

8. Preservation and conservation

 Preservations involves efforts to protect an ecosystem
 Conservations involves efforts to return an affected ecosystem to its natural
equiblirium and keep them good
 The efforts of conservations includes:
o Preservations of soil
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o Preservations of water
o Preservations of flora and fauna of the forest
o Preservations of mangrove swamps

Preservations of soils
 Make a sustainable agricultural development
effectively
 Good farming technique will prevent erosion and
soil depletion
 Good agricultural practices includes:
o Crop rotation
o Contour farming
o Controlled grazing
o Planting cover crops
o The appropriate use of fertilizers
o Effective drainage and irrigations

Preservations of water
 Clean water is precious resource and commodity
 Such as, water sources and water catchment areas
must be preserved
 Rivers must not be regarded as dumping sites for
domestic and toxic wastes which can pollutes the
water
 The use of nitrates and phosphates in agriculture
must be controlled to prevent run-offs into rivers
and ponds

Preservations of flora and fauna of Rainforest

 Biologists have estimated that Malaysian
rainforest contain more than 50% of the world’s
plant and 15 000 of them has not studied yet

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 If deforestation proceed faster than afforestation,
many of these species could become extinct before
they can be documented
 Important of forest:
o As a diverse storehouse of plant and
animal species which can provide
useful and medicine for mankind
o Play an important role in the
regulation of microclimate and the
concentration of atmospheric carbon
dioxide
o Sites for research and education

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