FORWARD AFRICAImproving lives through partnerships

9th October, 2015

Sensitization on Land Use, Environmental Interactions and

Environmental Sustainability for

EDEN-CYFI Volunteer FacilitatorsPresented by Ikedinachi Ogamba – Programme Manager

Objectives

• To expose the relationship between the society, economy and environment.

• To enhance understanding of participants how human activities affect the environment.

• To inspire participants to think, act and promote sustainability.

Outline• Land Use and Land Cover Change• Human-environment Interaction• Sustainability/sustainable Development• Promoting Sustainability: The Nexus• Systems-Based Sustainability Framework• Three Dimensions of Our Human-Ecological

System• Ecological Goods And Services• Environmental Degradation• Environmental Protection and Restoration• Think Sustainability

What is land use?

• Land is the first factor of production, followed by labour, capital, and entrepreneur.

• Human being has to do something to survive and these activities happen on land.Land use is the function of land - what it is used for.

• It is a description of how people utilize the land and of socio-economic activity.

Land Cover Change

Land cover is the observed (bio)physical cover on the earth's surface.

It refers to the surface cover on the ground, whether vegetation, urban infrastructure, water, bare soil or other

What is land used for in Rivers State/Nigeria?

Land Use Practices include:• Agriculture (arable and livestock farming)• Housing (shelter)• Industry (production, e.g. paper making, dyeing,

metalworking, oil refining, retailing)• Transport (road, airport and seaport construction

movement)• Recreation (relaxation, games/sports)• Drainage and sewage treatment• …

Why is examination of land use important to sustainability?

• Land use practices does not only affect land (earth), but also other natural resource such as water, air, habitats, etc.

• Hence it is important to look at how the use of land and land cover change by human in other to ensure that the negative effects of these activities are reduced and the future protected.

Human–Environment InteractionThis is all about the interplay between humans and their physical settings. It is the interrelationships between the physical environment and human behaviour. It involve studying of the transactions between people and their surroundings.

The great issues of our times in the realm of human and environment relations include:– land and water degradation– air pollution– climate change, – loss of biodiversity – overfishing– desertification– gas flaring– improper waste disposal and management

Sustainability = Sustainable Development

• Each generation's duty to its successors is at the heart of the concept of sustainable development.

• Brundtland Commission (WCED, 1987) in its report, 'Our Common Future', defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Conditions for Sustainable Development

Daly (1991) defines sustainable development as one that satisfies three basic conditions:

(1) Its rates of use of renewable resources do not exceed their rates of regeneration;

(2) Its rates of use of non-renewable resources do not exceed the rate at which sustainable renewable substitutes are developed;

(3) Its rates of pollution do not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment.

Promoting Sustainability: The Nexus

Promoting Sustainability cont…

• In practice, sustainability refers to efforts to align socioeconomic activities with environmental protection and human well-being.

• Sustainability is commonly characterized in terms of the interdependence among three broad dimensions– Environment– economy,– Society

while considering both present and future generations.

A Systems-Based Sustainability Framework

Systems-Based Sustainability Framework• The above diagram is systems-based sustainability framework

that depicts some of the relationships/linkages among the three dimensions of sustainability.

• It shows that the concept of sustainability is based on the fundamental interdependence between human and natural systems.

• Human decisions related to any of the three dimensions affect the entire system.

• Using this framework can help identify the critical relationships among these system dimensions.

• The world is presented as three interrelated, interdependent, interacting dimensions of our human-ecological system: environment, society, and economy. The arrows in the figure show the flows among the three dimensions.

About the Three Dimensions of Our Human-Ecological System

• The environment represents the natural world, including animals and plants, mineral deposits, soil, water, and air.

• The economy comprises activities that provide products and services to people. These include manufacturing, agriculture, mining, power generation, drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, solid waste management, health care, construction, and commercial fishing and aquaculture.

• Society represents people, their actions, and their quality of life. This includes human health and well-being, government and other institutions, buildings, transportation and utility infrastructure, and recreation.

Interrelationships Among the Dimensions of Our Human-Ecological System

• The environment provides ecological services to the economy and to society. Examples include provision of goods such as fish, crops, air, water, timber, raw materials, and fuel; purification of air and water; pollination of crops and natural vegetation; maintenance of biodiversity; decomposition of wastes; moderation of weather extremes; contribution to climate stability; and provision of recreation.

• The economy produces products and services for society. It deposits wastes into the environment, and can also protect and restore environmental systems through recovery and recycling operations.

• Society supplies labour and talent to the economy. It generates wastes that are deposited in the environment or recycled to the economy. It regulates the economy and protects the environment.

Ecological Goods and Services• Ecological goods and services are the benefits arising from the ecological

functions of healthy ecosystems. Such benefits accrue to all living organisms, including animals and plants, rather than to humans alone. However, there is a growing recognition of the importance to society that ecological goods and services provide for health, social, cultural, and economic needs.

• Examples of ecological goods include :clean air, abundant fresh water., • Examples of ecological services include:

– purification of air and water, – maintenance of biodiversity,– decomposition of wastes– soil and vegetation generation and renewal,– pollination of crops and natural vegetation– seed dispersal– groundwater recharge through wetlands – greenhouse gas mitigation– aesthetically pleasing landscapes

Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water, and soil, the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. (Wikipedia)

• When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur.

• When habitats are destroyed, biodiversity is lost, or natural resources are depleted, the environment is hurt.

Statement from an article • For instance, agriculture requires pesticides that pollute

the atmosphere or enter drainage system via run off and sewers. Other activities which lead to pollution include thermal power stations, burning of fossil fuels, exhaust fumes. All these emit harmful pollutants like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc, that cause acid rain, global warming, and the malfunctioning of human haemoglobin, etc(Angela Kesiena Etuonovbe, 2009 - The Devastating Effects of Environmental Degradation - A Case Study of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria)

Some Environmental Problems In The Niger Delta

• Pollution: potentially harmful substances are released into the environment– air pollution, – water pollution – Noise pollution

• Solid Waste: improper disposal of wastes

Statement from an articleIncompatible Land Use

“The incompatible land use in our urban centres has resulted in the proliferation of small trade and craft stands; open mechanic workshops, vulcanisers, corners shops, shoeshine and shoe-mending stalls, and gas sales. Others include kiosks, stalls and stores. The environmental degradation caused by the mechanic workshops and these activities include the spill of toxic battery acids, engine oil, grease, and petroleum and underground water.”

(Angela Kesiena Etuonovbe, 2009 - The Devastating Effects of Environmental Degradation - A Case Study of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria)

WIKIPEDIA: Statement on the Niger Delta Environment

• This incredibly well-endowed ecosystem contains one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, in addition to supporting abundant flora and fauna, arable terrain that can sustain a wide variety of crops, lumber or agricultural trees, and more species of freshwater fish than any ecosystem in West Africa.

• Oil spills are a common event in Nigeria. Half of all spills occur due to pipeline and tanker accidents (50%), other causes include sabotage (28%) and oil production operations (21%), with 1% of the spills being accounted for by inadequate or non-functional production equipment. Corrosion of pipelines and tankers is the rupturing or leaking of old production infrastructures that often do not receive inspection and maintenance.

Other Environmental Challenges in the Delta

• Loss of mangrove forests• Depletion of fish populations• Natural gas flaring: Gas flaring releases of

large amounts of methane, which has a high global warming potential, and is also accompanied by greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide,

Environmental Protection and Restoration Actions

• Improving Air Quality • Improving Water Quality• Proper Waste and Managment• Addressing Climate Change • Revitalizing Coastal Wetlands & Marine

Habitats• Protecting Habitats as We Build for the Future • Managing Healthy Forests

Think Sustainability

Environmental SustainabilityIs Everyone’s Business

Thank You