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NOTES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Prepared by: N. R. Bautista

BIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY

The aim of Environmental Science is to understand the natural world and be able to solve

environmental problems. Since Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary course, it is not just learningfrom disciplines like biology, chemistry, climatology, anthropology, forestry and agriculture, but also we

need to know and understanding of sociology, law, ethics, economics and psychology, as solutions

usually fall under social arenas. It is actually in mankinds way of managing sustainably our limited

natural resources that we can live in harmony with others here in our planet Earth, as we know that the

Earth is a closed system. Sustainability means that the present population must meet their needs

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Below are some of the

principles for achieving sustainability and adoption of these principles would be useful in reshaping

human society to be environmentally sound.

1. Conservation Conservation is the use of only the amount of resources we need, and to usethem efficiently. Inefficient use of resources is wasteful, which produces stress on the

source of resources, and will result in limited resources for others. Also, if this is not

followed, life will be limited only to a narrow region on Earth where conditions are mild and

food abundant.

2. Recycling This is the reuse of materials over and over. Remember that the Earth is aclosed system, a system that does not receive any inputs from the outside except sunlight.

Other materials like water, nutrients, air and soil are continuously recycled through

biological and geologic processes and is used over and over. Without recycling, natural

ecosystems will quickly collapse and life will come to an abrupt halt as the Earths resources

are extinguished.

3. Renewable Resources Use Natural systems also persist because they rely principally onrenewable resources air, water, soil, animals and plants. The energy of life comes from

the Sun, a vast but unrenewable resources. Without any plants, to capture the suns

energy, most lifeforms cannot survive on the planet. Renewable resources have to be used

gradually, and given time to renew, or else they will gone. Also, pollution can cause

problems in the restoration of these resources.

4.

Restoration Natural systems endure because they are capable of repairing damage orregenerating. This is seen in areas where affected life is regenerated back after a flood, fire,

or volcanic eruption. Biologically, restoration can be seen in the animals body immune

system to counteract infection, clotting of blood when tissues are cut, repair of new tissues

or growing of new cells, regeneration of new organs, or replacing dead organisms with new

ones through reproduction.

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5. Population Control The number of population in area also affects the use of the resources.A certain area only has a specific carrying capacity, which is the ability of an area to provide

food and support a number of individuals, and for them to live comfortably for an indefinite

time. Population is imposed by food supply and materials needed. There is usually checks

and balance in the environment wherein too much population will cause if widespread

mortality until it levels down to a minimum or as if it resets itself. As Thomas Malthus, a

British cleric and scholar, once said: Human society needs to check population in a humane

way, or else, hunger, disease and war will control it in an inhumane way.

6. Adaptability Finally, natural systems persist because of the capacity of organisms withinthem to change through time, that is, to evolve and adapt. Evolution is a process wherein

minor variations in physical attributes is present in a population, and these variations are

selected by nature to perform better than others. Only the organisms with favorable

attributes survives. This leads to structural, functional, and behavioral changes in a species

called adaptation, which increases the organisms changes of survival and reproduction in a

particular location.

If any of these principles are altered, problems arise in the environment. These includes over-

population, or extermination of populations, pollution, depletion of natural resources (over-

fishing, over-grazing, deforestation), habitat destruction (land use), occurrence of epidemics,

and wars.