Chapter 16.5

Conservation

KEY CONCEPT Conservation methods can help protect and restore ecosystems.

Improving The Environment

• If population growth and environmental pollution are not slowed down, they will become limiting factors for our species, as well as other species.

Conservation of Natural Resources

• Conservation involves the protection and wise use of our natural resources.

• Natural Resources include the basic things in the natural world– Soil– Water– Air– Energy– Wildlife– Open Space

Wildlife Preservation

• Efforts are being made to help endangered species and to protect other forms of wildlife.

• Endangered species also have protected habitats provided by wildlife refuges and national parks.

• Laws have been passed regulating overhunting and overfishing to protect various species.

Sustainable development manages resources for present and

future generations.• Sustainable development meets needs

without hurting future generations.– resources meet current needs– resources will still be available for future use

The timber industry has started to adopt

sustainable practices.

• Global fisheries have adopted several sustainable practices.– rotation of catches – fishing gear review – harvest reduction – fishing bans

Conservation practices focus on a few species but benefit

entire ecosystems.

Environmental Laws• Governmental agencies have begun to

take responsibility for environmental protection by passing laws to stop pollution.– Freshwater Wetlands Act– Hazardous Waste Disposal Regulations– Air Pollution Control Laws– State Environmental Quality Review Act– Returnable Container Law– Endangered Species Act

• The Endangered Species Act works to protect individual species from extinction.

• A listed species is often called an umbrella species.–the habitat in which the species

lives must be protected–other species are protected

because they share the ecosystem

Protecting Earth’s resources helps protect our future.

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970.

• The EPA develops policies and regulations to protect the environment.

• Legislation helps to protect the environment and endangered species.– Clean Air Act– Clean Water Act– Endangered Species Act

• The National Park Service helps manage public lands.

• The park system includes over 390 areas, covering 84 million acres.

There are several ways that people can help protect

the environment.–control population growth–protect and maintain ecosystems–develop sustainable technology and

practices

Human Impact

Land ResourcesForest ResourcesOcean ResourcesAir ResourcesWater ResourcesOzone DepletionGlobal warming

Land Resources

What happening?– Plowing removes the roots that hold the soil in

place, increasing the rate of Soil erosion– SOIL EROSION – is the wearing away of surface

soil by water and wind.– Desertification- the process of turning once

productive areas into deserts from a combination of farming, overgrazing, and drought.

Land Resources

Why is it a problem?– Soil is a renewable resource, however it can be

permanently damaged if mismanaged

What is being done?– Contour plowing- fields are plowed across the slope

of the land to reduce erosion– Leaving stems and roots of the previous year’s

crops in place to hold soil

Forest Resources

What is Happening?– Deforestation- loss of

forest which leads to severe erosion

Why is this a problem?– Old growth forest can be

considered a nonrenewable resource because it would take centuries to reproduce

– Forests provide O2 and remove CO2 from the atmosphere

– They also store nutrients and provide food and habitat to organisms

Forest Resources

What is being Done?– Tree farms can be planted

and harvested efficiently making them fully renewable resources

– Tree geneticists are also breeding new, faster-growing tree varieties that produce high- quality wood.

Ocean Resources

What is happening?– Overfishing- fish stocks in

many fisheries are being harvested faster than they reproduce.

Why is this a problem?– People depend on the

ocean as a major source of protein, both from finfish and from shellfish

– With the amount of fish caught each year increasing the fish cannot reproduce fast enough to keep up

Ocean Resources

What is being done?– Limiting the catch of fish – Certain fishing grounds

have been temporarily closed

– Aquaculture- farming of aquatic organisms

Air Resources

What is happening?– Smog- a mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray-

brown haze in the atmosphere. This is due primarily to automobile exhausts and industrial

emissions

– Pollutant- a harmful material that can enter the biosphere through air, land or water

The burning of fossil fuels can release pollutants that cause smog and other problems in the atmosphere.

Air Resources

Why is it a problem?– This leads to toxins that enter the mouth, nose and

lungs causing health problems over the long term.– Gases released from the burning of fossil fuels

combine with water vapor to form ACID RAIN– Acid rain kills plants, and changes the chemistry of

soils

What is being done?– Technology to control emissions from factory

smokestacks– Strict automobile emission standards and clean air

regulations

Water Resources

What is happening?– Pollution such as OIL

SPILLS threatens our water supply

– Improperly discarded chemicals can enter streams and rivers

– Domestic sewage entering or water ways causing increase in bacteria growth

Water Resources

Why is this a problem?– Fresh water is used daily for everything from

drinking and washing to watering crops and making steel.

– Although water is a renewable resource, the total supply of fresh water is limited

What is being done? – Conservation by: drip irrigation, and consumer

awareness of conservation

Ozone Depletion

What is happening? – Chemicals called CFC’s

which were once widely used in aerosol cans, the production of plastics and as coolants in freezers, refrigerators and air conditioners have caused a hole in our ozone layer and this hole is continuing to grow

Ozone Depletion

Why is this a problem?– The ozone layer absorbs

a great deal of harmful UV rays before it reaches the earth’s surface .

– As the ozone layer is depleted UV exposure can cause sunburns, cancer, eye damage and decrease an organism’s resistance to disease

What is being done?– The US has joined many

other nations to phase out the use of CFCs

Global Warming

What is happening?– An increase in the average temperature of the

biosphere.– Over the past 120 years global temperatures have

risen .5 degrees Celsius– CO2 and other gases are being released into the

atmosphere and being retained causing more heat.

Global Warming

Why is this a problem?– Polar ice caps will continue to

melt and could rise enough to flood some low lying coastal areas

– Storms and other weather disturbances could become more frequent and severe

– Heat favors rodents weeds and insect that reproduce and spread quickly

What is being Done?– Alternate energy sources

are being researched to reduce or stop the burning of fossil fuels that release gases into the atmosphere that retain heat.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!