Tag: Environmental Education

The greenhouse effect refers to heat trapping action of the atmosphere caused by atmospheric gases and results in the general increase in earth temperature. When the sun’s thermal radiation is able to pass through the atmosphere due to its short wavelength. However, upon reaching the earth surface, the radiation is reflected back into the atmosphere with a long wavelength and this time, the atmosphere acts as a ‘heat trap’ which absorb the re-radiated heat. This happens because some gases (namely water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane) absorb energy strongly at certain wavelengths in the infrared radiation.

The presence of water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other gases in the air has served the planet well. The‘trapping’ of heat by the atmosphere has kept the Earth warm. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth’s surface would be about 25°C cooler than it is today. However, the emission of extra carbon dioxide from the burning fuels (petrol, coal, etc.) may be adding to this effect and causing what is called ‘global warming’

The‘greenhouse gases’that produce this warming include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, the oxides of nitrogen and CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). These gases absorb heat from the Sun that is reflected from the Earth’s surface. They prevent this heat from being re-radiated back into space. So the Earth’s surface becomes warmer.

The levels of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere are very high (about 5000 million tonnes per year). Large-scale deforestation, particularly of the tropical rainforests, to provide land for agriculture, also increases the level of carbon dioxide in the air because it removes trees j which absorb the gas for photosynthesis.

The effects of global warming are complex. The polar ice-caps would begin to melt as the temperature rose. The increase in sea level would threaten low-lying lands. Extensive climate change I is possible but is difficult to predict. In some regions the effects may be good; but others may suffer long droughts. There could be major shifts in desert and fertile regions. Tropical storms could | increase in their intensity.

There is evidence, from dying corals to an increase in warm-water fish in the North Sea, to show that global warming is taking place. Whether this is due to increased carbon dioxide levels remains to be proved. Certainly the concentration of CO₂in the Earth’s atmosphere has increased over the last century (in 1850 it was 0.027%, and in 1993 it was 0.036%).

Ozone layer depletion

A protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere prevents harmful ultra-violet radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. CFCs and other halogen compounds are thought to cause the damage. International agreement has been reached on restricting the use of these compounds (the Montreal Protocol). If the situation were allowed to grow worse, exposure to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation could cause more cases of skin cancer in humans, and cause damage to crops.

There are various types of pollution that occur over smaller, local areas. These usually occur in large cities, where there is heavy use of motor cars. These forms of pollution are:

• photochemical smog,
• high levels of carbon monoxide, and
• high levels of lead compounds.

Photochemical smogis formed in regions where there is a large amount of traffic. It was first identified in Los Angeles, and forms only under certain conditions. Severe photochemical smog often occurs in cities located in valleys, or surrounded by hills or mountains. On sunny, windless days, oxides of nitrogen are trapped by the hills in air that is close to the ground. A complicated series of reactions takes place and ground-level ozone is one of the products. In these circumstances ozone is harmful, particularly for asthma sufferers.

Carbon monoxideis the most common air pollutant in the industrialised world. It is produced when hydrocarbon fuels are incompletely burnt. Carbon monoxide is poisonous at levels of only 0.1%. Oxygen is very important to living things.

In our bodies it is carried round the body attached to haemoglobin in our red blood cells. Carbon monoxide is attracted to haemoglobin over 200 times more strongly than oxygen. In the blood, carbon monoxide prevents haemoglobin from carrying oxygen. This leads to dizziness and headaches. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide causes death.

Lead compoundsare the most toxic heavy-metal pollutants in the air. Lead compounds form part of the ‘urban dust’ that forms in a city atmosphere.

People living next to busy roads can have high levels of lead in their blood. This has been linked with nervous disorders and with learning disabilities in children. The increased moves to use unleaded petrol are reducing this health hazard.

A business as usual approach toGMAswould almost certainly result in perpetuation of the current cycle of declining ecological and economic productivity and waning social benefits. There is a need for change which must include greater government funding forZAWA(and reduced reliance onGMAsfor their income) and models that allow for much greater community ownership of and benefits fromGMAs, while providing attractive bases for investment by the private sector.

Wildlife conservation refers to the well-planned practice of ensuring protection for wild animal species, their habitats, and plants. It can also be defined as the act of consuming natural resources responsibly and carefully so they will be available in the long-term. Conservation is distinct from preservation in the sense that preservation involves maintaining natural areas for their own sake, which includes protecting them from human use and intervention.

All organisms that are not directly acted upon by humans, such as uncultivated plants and undomesticated animals, could be considered forms of wildlife. More or less, the truth about wildlife is that our future generations should be allowed to enjoy the Mother Nature while recognizing the unshaken importance of wildlife towards our wellbeing and surroundings.

As wildlife conservation has become a need of the pressing demands which modern people must address, the following are some key points signifying the importance of conserving wildlife.

1.Protection of biodiversity

The Mother Nature requires that different species stay connected by means of various food webs. It means that the extinction or demise of one particular species might influence one or more other species down the line. Conserving wildlife can be a preventive step to stay safe prior to any unforeseeable environmental issue. The loss of an animal that isn’t especially important economically or culturally could unexpectedly affect a type of animal that is, so widespread wildlife conservation is a general preventative measure for unforeseen problems.

2.Sustenance of agricultural activities

Wildlife conservation can significantly help us secure food supplies for the future. In agriculture, crop diversity protects food supplies from vulnerability to disease.

Different diseases can attack individual crops while just one crop grown in an entire field might succumb to just a blight. Also, wildlife conservation makes it possible that many of the plants which we are yet to use in our regular agricultural production might become some sorts of new crops.

Saving many wild plants might help us to use the various types of genetic materials which could be critical to the modification of crops which we are still using. If we can save wild plants, many of them can be chosen as the cornerstones for the development of biodegradable pesticides.

3.A motivation for research:

There may be many undiscovered plants and animals in the wild. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) refers to the importance of maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity for the sake of plants that provide substances used in both the pharmaceutical industry and traditional medicine.

We should maintain biodiversity and ecosystems just for wild plants which cater to our needs in making traditional medicine and enriching the pharmaceutical industry.

More than 50% of the drugs used worldwide are actually developed from plants, animals, and microbial organisms. The trend is still existent.

Relying on conducting research on wildlife as additional natural sources could be a more efficient initiative than depending on artificial man-made sources.

Chances are that failure to conserve wildlife could cause medical science experts to lose many of their important sources of knowledge.

4.Facilitation of eco-services economics:

Nowadays, our efforts for wildlife conservation could contribute to the restoration of positive economic consequences in these less than stable world economic circumstances.

A Game Management Area (GMA) in Zambia is a buffer zone around a national park in which licensed safari and subsistence hunting is permitted. It is a communal area in which people live by semi-subsistence agriculture, coexisting with wildlife. The community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) program allowsZambia Wildlife Authority(ZAWA) to share hunting license revenue and wildlife management responsibilities with the communities living in GMAs. The communities allocate the revenue resources between employment of village scouts, and local infrastructure and developmental projects through Community Resource Boards (CRBs) and Village Action Groups (VAGs).

Wildlife which makes for a good part of ecosystem activities has had an effect on the quality and quantity of fresh water that we drink. It might happen that our efforts to artificially purify water to compensate for relevant ecosystem damage could be nothing but a heavy financial loss.

Our integrated efforts to maintain the congruity of eco-services can easily illuminate our inefficiencies in attempting to replicate something artificially that our natural ecosystems have been doing for free since the inception of nature.

5.Assistance to ecotourism

Wildlife conservation is linked to the acceleration of ecotourism on a national level. Africa’s ecotourism is the biggest example of this fact.IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION for ecotourism

African Wildlife Foundation states that conservation of wildlife is important because tourists enjoy a lot if they are given the chance to watch the bewildering variety of African animals living in natural habitats.

Wildlife has been an integral part of Africa’s ecotourism, which has gained considerable growth over the past few decades. Ecotourism has already been a very influential stimulus for African economies.

Finally, there is another reason why we must plan for wildlife conservation. Different wild animals and plant species often work as indicators of various environmental problems and catastrophes. Also, conserving wildlife brings us some educational benefits, psychological improvements, and positive economic factors. Although many governments and non-government agencies have been on the lookout for viable conservation techniques, more balanced approaches and long-term initiatives are to be made for the ultimate success in wildlife conservation.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia identifies tourism as one of the growth frontiers for the country. Several interventions have been introduced in the areas around the national parks designated as GMAs. Lodges and campsites may employ local labour. Increased demand for handicraft and other nature based products may provide new enterprising opportunities. Traditional entertainment and culture may increase revenue potential from the tourists.

6.Education

Importance of wildlife conservation on education

Studying animals and their habitats can be a valuable learning experience for students of all ages. There are increasing evidences for the educational benefits of trips to the zoo or other wildlife conservation areas for children. Failures in wildlife conservation may leave teachers with fewer educational resources.