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    Ecology

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    Siddharth Patil
    Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Researchers study these interactions at the levels of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecosystems provide services that benefit humans, which are classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was a major international study that evaluated ecosystem services and found that approximately 60% are being degraded, putting strain on the environment and humanity. However, with appropriate policy changes over the next 50 years it may be possible to reverse much of the degradation.

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    Ecology

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    Siddharth Patil
    30 views3 pages
    Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Researchers study these interactions at the levels of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecosystems provide services that benefit humans, which are classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was a major international study that evaluated ecosystem services and found that approximately 60% are being degraded, putting strain on the environment and humanity. However, with appropriate policy changes over the next 50 years it may be possible to reverse much of the degradation.

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    Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Researchers study these interactions at the levels of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecosystems provide services that benefit humans, which are classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was a major international study that evaluated ecosystem services and found that approximately 60% are being degraded, putting strain on the environment and humanity. However, with appropriate policy changes over the next 50 years it may be possible to reverse much of the degradation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    30 views3 pages

    Ecology

    Uploaded by

    Siddharth Patil
    Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Researchers study these interactions at the levels of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecosystems provide services that benefit humans, which are classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was a major international study that evaluated ecosystem services and found that approximately 60% are being degraded, putting strain on the environment and humanity. However, with appropriate policy changes over the next 50 years it may be possible to reverse much of the degradation.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 3

    ILO8029:ENIVRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

    MODULE 3: CONCEPTS OF ECOLOGY

    Lecture 1: What is the need to study Ecology?

    Ecology:

    Ecology is the scientific study of the processes regulating the distribution and abundance
    of organisms and the interactions among them, and the study of how these organisms in
    turn mediate the transport and transformation of energy and matter in the biosphere (i.e.,
    the study of the design of ecosystem structure and function).

    Within the discipline of ecology, researchers work at four specific levels, sometimes
    discretely and sometimes with overlap. These levels are organism, population, community,
    and ecosystem. In ecology, ecosystems are composed of dynamically-interacting parts,
    which include organisms, the communities they comprise, and the non living components
    of their environment. Ecosystem processes, such as primary production, pedogenesis
    (formation of soil), nutrient cycling, and various niche construction activities, regulate the
    flux of energy and matter through an environment. The variety of organisms, called
    biodiversity, which refer to the differing species, genes, and ecosystems, enhances certain
    ecosystem services. Protecting biodiversity and improving the supply of (and equitable
    access to) ecosystem services is a vital global interest to sustain a healthy planet and
    deliver benefits essential for all people.

    There are many practical applications of ecology in conservation biology, wetland


    management, natural resource management (agroecology, agriculture, forestry,
    agroforestry, fisheries), city planning (urban ecology), community health, economics, basic
    and applied science, and human social interaction (human ecology).

    Ecosystem Services:

    Ecosystem services is a concept that was codified within the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem
    Assessment. Ecosystem services are the benefits derived by humans from ecosystems
    and are classified in four major groupings: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting
    (figure 1.1).

    1
    ILO8029:ENIVRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

     Provisioning services include products that humans obtain from ecosystems


    including food, water, fuel, fiber, and genetic resources.
     Regulating services include the benefits of climate regulation, disease regulation,
    water regulation and purification, control of erosion, pollination, and the
    maintenance of air quality.
     Cultural services refer to non-material benefits obtained by humans from
    ecosystems including cultural diversity and heritage, recreation and ecotourism,
    esthetic values, and spiritual and religious values.
     Supporting services are the services provided by ecosystems that support all
    other ecosystem services. Examples of supporting services include soil formation,
    nutrient cycling, primary production and atmospheric oxygen production (Millennium
    Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).

    Figure 1.1: Linkage between Ecosystem services and Human well-being

    2
    ILO8029:ENIVRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

    Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005:

    The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) was called for by the United Nations
    Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000. Initiated in 2001, the objective of the MEA was to
    assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and the scientific
    basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems
    and their contribution to human well-being. The MEA has involved the work of more than
    1,360 experts worldwide and was completed by 2005.

    The MEA findings show that human actions are depleting Earth’s natural capital, putting
    such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future
    generations can no longer be taken for granted. Approximately 60% of a group of 24
    ecosystem services examined by the MEA are being degraded or used unsustainably, is
    the first comprehensive audit of the status of Earth’s natural capital. At the same time, the
    assessment shows that with appropriate actions it is possible to reverse the degradation of
    many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice
    required are substantial and not currently underway.

    The MEA inspired several other international initiatives such as The Economics of
    Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB, www.teebweb.org) and the ongoing
    Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
    (IPBES, www.ipbes.net). These initiatives aim at highlighting knowledge gaps and
    promoting that management and conservation of ecosystems is highly valuable (also in
    economic terms) for human well-being.

    Review Questions:
    1. What are ecosystem services? Why is it important to evaluate ecosystem services?
    2. What is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment? Discuss the key findings of the
    Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

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