NGOs and ENVIRONMENT ACTIVISM

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM
Environmental Activism : is a social movement which seeks to influence the political process by lobbying, activism, and education in order to protect natural resources and ecosystems. In recognition of humanity as a participant in ecosystems, the environmental movement is centered on ecology, health, and human rights. An environmentalist is a person who may advocate the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of the natural environment through changes in public policy or individual behavior. In various ways for example- grassroots activism and protests, environmentalists and environmental organizations seek to give the natural world a stronger voice in human affairs.

NGOs
Meaning of NGO: - Formal : Institutionalised - Private: Non- governmental. - Self governing. - Exhibition of altruistic value and ideologicaly driven. - Non-profit distributing. - Development oriented. Non Governmental Organization is a legally constituted organization created by private organizations or people with no participation or representation by the government.In the cases where NGOs are founded totally or partially by governments, the NGOs maintain its non-governmental status as it excludes government representation from membership in organization.

Types of NGOs:
1. 2. 3. 4. BINGO- Big International NGO.eg. CARE ENGO: Environment NGO eg. Global 2000. TANGO-Technical assistance NGO; National NGOs: eg. Red cross

OBJECTIVES of NGO
To highlight and delineate crucial factors responsible for the health sector reforms and to undertake, as the most challenging endeavor, effective and efficient health management and quality health care service provisions in the community. To act as a catalyst in bringing about local initiative and community participation in overall improvement in quality of life. To develop environmental consciousness among the public for environmental protection by which a cleaner and healthier environment can be achieved . To protect and preserve of nature, wildlife etc.

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY NGOs

Solid Waste Management. Zero Waste Management. Student Environment Programme. (STEP) Tree Planting. Rain Harvesting. Pollution Control.

LIMITATIONS OF NGOs
As against the common public perception, NGOs are struggling everyday for funds, infrastructure and many other requirements to carry out their work. Wrong common perception of NGOs being antigovernment. Financial mismanagement. Involvement in embezzlement. Illiteracy. Existence of sham NGOs. Unrealistic and high expectations of NGOs and assumption that NGOs are capable of solving all the problems faced, on a continuous basis.

ECOSYSTEMS
Meaning of ecosystem: Ecology was first coined by a German biologist in 1869 and is derived from the Greek word Oikos-House, Logos- study of. Any unit or biosystem that includes all the organisms which function together in a given area where they interact with physical environment is known as Ecosystem. Ecosystem is a functional unit in ecology as it consists of both the biotic community (living) and abiotic community (non-living). There are two major aspects of ecosystem: Structural aspect Functional aspect.

STRUCTURAL ASPECT OF ECOSYSTEM

Structure of ecosystem consist of: Abiotic Components: 1. Inorganic compounds. 2. Organic compounds. 3. Climatic regimes. Biotic components. 4. Producers.( Autotrophic) 5.Consumers. a. Heterotrophic (Macro consumers.) b. Decomposers.( Micro consumers)

FUNCTIONAL ASPECT OF ECOSYSTEM

1.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Energy Cycles. # Water cycle. # Oxygen cycle. # Carbon cycle. # Nitrogen cycle. # Energy cycle. Food chains/ Food web. Diversity patterns. Nutrient Cycle. Evolution.

TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
1. Natural Ecosystem: These operate themselves under natural conditions without any major interference by man. These are of two types: a). Terrestrial Ecosystem- Forest ecosystem. - Grassland ecosystem. - Desert ecosystem. - Mountain ecosystem. - Island ecosystem. b). Acquatic ecosystem- Fresh water ecosystem pond, lake, river, streams. - Marine water ecosystem sea, ocean etc. Artificial Ecosystem : Maintained artificially by man eg. croplands- maize, rice-fields, wheat etc.

2.

GEOSPHERE
The term Geosphere is often used to refer to the densest parts of Earth, which consist mostly of rock and regolith. In modern texts, geosphere refers to the solid parts of the Earth and is used along with atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere to describe the systems of the Earth. The term originally applies to the four nested geospheres identified as solid (earth), liquid (water), gas (air), and plasma (fire). The nested geospheres then include the asthenosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and the ionosphere or plasmasphere. The dense geosphere is also subdivided into the crust, mantle, and core. The outer core is unusual in that it is considered to be a liquid, yet it is a part of Earth's interior. The geosphere is considered that portion of the Earth system that includes the Earth's interior, rocks and minerals, landforms and the processes that shape the Earth's surface.

BIOSPHERE
The biosphere is the life zone of the Earth and includes all living organisms, including man, and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed. The biosphere is the part of the earth including air, land, surface rocks and water with in which life occurs and which biotic processes in turn alter or transform. The biosphere is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain whereby all life is dependent upon the first tier (i.e. mainly the primary producers that are capable of photosynthesis).. The biosphere can be divided into distinct ecosystems that represent the interactions between a group of organisms forming a trophic pyramid and the environment or habitat in which they live. From the broadest biophysiological point of view, the biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. This biosphere is postulated to have evolved, beginning through a process of biogenesis or biopoesis, at least some 3.5 billion years ago.

HYDROSPHERE
A hydrosphere in physical geography describes the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet. The earths hydrosphere consists of water in all forms :the ocean (which is the bulk of hydrosphere), other surface waters including seas, lakes and rivers rain underground water ice ( all glaciers and snow) and atmospheric water vapors( as in clouds). The abundance of water on earth is a unique feature that distinguishes our Blue Planet from others in the solar system. Approximately 70.8% (97% of it being sea water and 3% fresh water) of the earth is covered by water only 29.2% is landmass.

ContdThe water cycle describes the methods of transport of water in the hydrosphere. This cycle includes water beneath the earths surface and in the rocks( lithosphere). The water in plants and animals ( biosphere), the water covering the surface of the planet in liquid and solid forms and water vapors, clouds. Movement of water within the hydrosphere is described by hydrologic cycle. It is easy to see this motion in rivers and streams but it is harder to tell that there is motion in ponds and lakes.

BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or the Earth. The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species, which is the product of nearly 3.5 billion years of evolution. India is one of the mega biodiversity centres in the world and has two of the world's 18 biodiversity hotspots located in the Western Ghats and in the Eastern Himalayas .

HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

 The hydrologic cycle is a conceptual model that describes the storage and movement of water between the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and the hydrosphere (see Figure 8b-1). Water on this planet can be stored in any one of the following reservoirs: atmosphere, oceans, lakes, rivers, soils, glaciers, snowfields, and groundwater. Water moves from one reservoir to another by way of processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, deposition, runoff, infiltration, sublimation, transpiration, melting, and groundwater flow. The oceans supply most of the evaporated water found in the atmosphere. Of this evaporated water, only 91% of it is returned to the ocean basins by way of precipitation. The remaining 9% is transported to areas over landmasses where climatological factors induce the formation of precipitation. The resulting imbalance between rates of evaporation and precipitation over land and ocean is corrected by runoff and groundwater flow to the oceans. The planetary water supply is dominated by the oceans

DEFINITION
The most straightforward definition is "variation of life at all levels of biological organization". A second definition holds that biodiversity is a measure of the relative diversity among organisms present in different ecosystems. "Diversity" in this definition includes diversity within a species and among species, and comparative diversity among ecosystems. The 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro defined "biodiversity" as "the variability among living organisms from all sources, including, 'inter alia', terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems". This is, in fact, the closest thing to a single legally accepted definition of biodiversity, since it is the definition adopted by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is often used by ecologists as the totality of genes, species and ecosystems of a region, thus indicating the three levels at which biodiversity exists: Genetic diversity: diversity of genes with in a species. There is genetic variability among the populations and the individuals of same species. Species diversity: diversity among species in the ecosystem. Biodiversity Hotspots are the excellent examples of species diversity. Ecosystem diversity: diversity at a higher level of organization, the ecosystem. Diversity of habitat in a given unit area .

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
At the ecosystem level, biodiversity provides the conditions and drives the processes that sustain the global economy and our very survival as a species. The benefits and services provided by ecosystems include: Generation of soils and maintenance of soil quality: The activities of microbial and animal species condition soils, break down organic matter, and release essential nutrients to plants. These processes play a key role in the cycling of such crucial elements as nitrogen, carbon and phosphorous between the living and non-living parts of the biosphere. Maintenance of air quality Plant species purify the air and regulate the composition of the atmosphere, recycling vital oxygen and filtering harmful particles resulting from industrial activities. Maintenance of water quality Wetland ecosystems (swamps, marshes, etc.) absorb and recycle essential nutrients, treat sewage, and cleanse wastes. Trees and forest soils purify water as it flows through forest ecosystems. In preventing soils from being washed away.

Contd Detoxification and decomposition of wastes Many industrial wastes are detoxified and decomposed by the activities of living things. In soils, the end product of these processes a range of simple inorganic chemicals is returned to plants as nutrients. Higher (vascular) plants can themselves serve to remove harmful substances from groundwater. Climate stabilization Plant tissues and other organic materials within land and ocean ecosystems act as repositories of carbon, helping to slow the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and thus contributing to climate stabilization. Prevention and mitigation of natural disasters Forests and grasslands protect landscapes against erosion, nutrient loss, and landslides through the binding action of roots. Ecosystems bordering regularly flooding rivers help to absorb excess water and thus reduce the damage caused by floods.

MAJOR ISSUES OF BIODIVERSITY

During the last century, erosion of biodiversity has been increasingly observed. Some studies show that about one eighth known plant species is threatened with extinction. Some estimates put the loss at up to 140,000 species per year. This figure indicates unsustainable ecological practices, because only a small number of species come into being each year. Almost all scientists acknowledge that the rate of species loss is greater now than at any time in human history, with extinctions occurring at rates hundreds of times higher than background extinction rates. The factors that threaten biodiversity have been variously categorized. Jared Diamond describes an "Evil Quartet" of habitat destruction, overkill, introduced species, and secondary extensions. Edward O. Wilson prefers the acronym HIPPO, standing for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Human OverPopulation, and Overharvesting..

Contd Destruction of habitat Exotic species Genetic pollution Hybridization and genetics Climate Change

CONSEVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY

The conservation of biological diversity has become a global concern. Although not everybody agrees on extent and significance of current extinction, most consider biodiversity essential. There are basically two main types of conservation options, in-situ conservation and ex-situ conservation. In-situ conservation : means on site conservation. It is the process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat, either by protecting or cleaning the habitat itself, or by defending the species from predators. Ex-situ conservation: means off-site conservation. It is the process of protecting an endangered species of plant or animal by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, which may be wild area or within care of humans.

BIOSPHERE RESERVES
The programme of Biosphere Reserve was initiated under the Man & Biosphere (MAB) by UNESCO in 1971 The term Biosphere Reserve' should denote an area: which is, set aside for the conservation of the resources of the biosphere and for the improvement of the relationship between man and the environment; which is, to serve as sites for long term scientific research as well as education all over the world.

Biosphere Reserve Functions:

Each Biosphere Reserve is intended to fulfill three basic functions, which are complementary and mutually reinforcing: Conservation - to ensure conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation; - to encourage traditional resource use system. - to understand functioning of ecosystems. -to monitor natural and human caused changes Development - to foster economic and human development which is socioculturally and ecologically sustainable, - to develop strategies for improvement and management of natural resources. Logistic - to provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development (UNESCO, 2005).

PROTECTED AREA CATEGORIES

National Parks Conservation of species of a habitat with minimal or very low intensity of human activity. No human resides in the Park, other than a public servant on duty and permitted persons by the Chief Wild Life Warden. Zone- Core Sanctuaries Conservation of species and habitats by manipulative management. No human resides in the Sanctuary, other than a public servant on duty and permitted persons by the Chief Wild Life Warden. ZoneCore, Buffer and Restoration Biosphere Reserves Conservation of the natural resources and for the improvement of the relationship between man and the environment therein. Both natural and human-influenced ecosystems; substantial human settlements (rural). Zone - Core, Buffer, Restoration and Cultural

National Parks and Sanctuaries In India

The Indian Wildlife heritage has a unique status worldwide.it has the second largest base of biodiversity in the world, with 500 Sanctuaries and 89 National Parks, which have become the destination of the visitors from all around the world. Another incredible feature of these amazing conservatories of exotic wildlife is that they are home to the largest number of tigers and one horn rhinoceros in the world, as well as almost extinct Asiatic Lion, and a large percentage of the total elephant population .Also Indias wildlife sanctuaries which cover about 90,0000 sq km. house more than 500 species of mammals, over 2000 species of birds, over 500 species of reptiles and amphibians and around 30000 species of insect.