esd project2 final

16
ESD Project 2 Group Journal: Nature and Us Title: Nature as Community Tutor: Mr Sanjeh Members: Tan Wei How 0310707 Teh Xue Kai 0317021

Upload: wilden-how

Post on 16-Jan-2015

65 views

Category:

Education


1 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Esd project2 final

ESD Project 2

Group Journal: Nature and Us

Title: Nature as Community

Tutor: Mr Sanjeh

Members: Tan Wei How 0310707Teh Xue Kai 0317021

Page 2: Esd project2 final

NATURE AS COMMUNITYNowadays, most of the human lives are seemingly apart from nature. People make their buildings in cities and towns, which causes them surrounded with concrete and steel. This environment drowns out the songs of birds with noise. When talking about nature, the closet of society get to nature is a romp with the family dog on the grass in the garden. Those who are luckier may get the chance to interact with the great outdoors through hiking, camping, canoeing and kayaking. In their mind, nature is still viewed and treated as something apart from humans. They may have a concept in mind where nature is a pristine place to be protected and preserved for people to enjoy.

Human beings are a part of nature as we depend on the Earth and natural system in many ways and are an integral part of the cycles of nature. Even a room where we are usually sitting in can show our dependence to the nature. Everything in that room comes from a natural system. For examples, the clothes we wear, the books we read, the morning coffee we have, and even the cornflakes we ate for breakfast are products of the Earth – the soil, water, air and plants. It has proved that humans need the soil, air, water, sun, and a host of living organisms to survive for even their daily life. When talking about air, oxygen will automatically come into our mind. It is one of the most important elements from the nature, where produced it through plants and algae. In fact, human beings and other living organisms consume enormous quantities of oxygen, which is used in the cells of our bodies to break down food molecules to generate energy. So, all those plants and algae are so important for humans and other animals to survive. Besides, they also provide a host of additional free services. For instance, swamps purify the water in streams and lakes, which provides animals clean water to drink.

Clearly, nature serves us in various ways. Even though people have isolated their modern life from nature, they still depend on nature in many ways. By the way, human beings influence natural cycles as well, and therefore, not only do humans depend on nature, the fate of natural system depends on us.

Humans depend nature for the social system in living life even though they have evolved biologically over a period of 3.5 million years. Within this period, their activities of the social systems also changed. The earliest humans were hunters and gatherers. After that, agricultural societies largely replaced it and lastly the societies were supplanted by industrial societies. All the three societies still exist today, but unfortunately hunting and gathering and agricultural societies are on the decline. Each distinct social system carried several forms of technology to manipulate the environment, but the impacts caused by humans for each stage in cultural development vary considerably.

Page 3: Esd project2 final

The following table will show the classification of 3 human social systems.

AGRICULTURE LEADS TO DEFORESTATION

Between 1990 and 2010 Malaysia lost around 1.920,000

Hunting and gathering Agriculture IndustryPeople benefited from their intelligence and ability to manipulate tools and weapons.

People benefited from new technologies to enhance crops and resource acquisition needed for their survival.

People rely on new technologies, energy, energy-intensive forms of transportation, tremendous input of materials, reduced number of workers, and, recently, biotechnology.

People were knowledgeable about the environment and skilled at finding food and water.

People were knowledgeable about domestic crops and animals.

People were knowledgeable about mass production and modern technology.

People were generally exploitive of their resources.

People were highly exploitive of their resources.

Industry is highly exploitive, more so than earlier societies, and devoted to maximum material output and consumption.

People’s widespread use of fine may have caused significant environmental damage in some locations.

Poor agriculture, overgrazing, and excessive timber cutting caused widespread environmental damage.

Widespread environmental damage results from industry, agriculture, and population growth.

Environmental impact was generally small because of low population density and lack if advanced technology.

Environmental impact of subsistence-level farming was significant, but because population size was small, damage was minimized. Deforestation caused biodiversity loss.

Environmental impact is enormous and includes pollution, species extinction, waste production, and dehumanization.

Page 4: Esd project2 final

hectares of forest, approximately 8.6% of its forest cover. Malaysians have been deforesting the Earth for hundreds of years, primarily to clear land for crops or livestock. Agricultural expansion, infrastructure expansion and wood extraction are direct causes of deforestation.

Since Malaysia is an agriculture-orientated country, the biggest direct cause of tropical deforestation is conversion to cropland and pasture, mostly for subsistence, which is growing crops or raising livestock to meet daily needs. Roads are built into remote areas to improve overland transportation of goods. The road development itself causes deforestation and provides entry to previously inaccessible, unclaimed land. Illegal logging follows road expansion and sometimes is the reason for the road expansion. Loggers move on after they have harvested an area’s valuable timber, then here comes the settlers—farmers and ranchers who slash and burn the remaining forest for cropland or cattle pasture, completing the deforestation chain.

In other cases, due to Malaysia’s climate, forests that have been degraded by logging become fire-prone and are eventually deforested by repeating accidental fires. Deforestation has attracted controversy in numerous areas in Malaysia such as Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric project in Terengganu, Pulai River mangrove forest in Johor and Bukit Cherakah in Selangor.

All in all, Malaysians should work together with the government to achieve a balance between agriculture and the nature as a community. As a counter measure for this issue, afforestation should be taken to establish forests in an area where there was no forest in order to increase carbon capture and sequestration and anthropogenically improve biodiversity.

DEFORESTATION LEADS TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Deforestation in Malaysia poses a big threat to the flora and fauna in the forest. It entails cutting down massive amounts of trees and vegetation, thus many herbivorous animals are forced to move elsewhere when their food supply gets taken away. Animals that fail to find other food sources die and in some cases become extinct. This directly affects carnivores that feed on the herbivores. When the food source starts running low, it becomes more difficult for them to survive.

Page 5: Esd project2 final

The reason is that animals require specialized habitats; deforestation increases the chances of extinction of the species. Resultant abandoned land from deforestation does not have much to offer its new residents because most of the land's nutrients were lost in the deforestation process. The environment becomes less diverse biologically because the land lost its ability to support the wildlife. Even when the originally deforested area is over time reforested, it will lack the large biodiversity of its previous state.

Losses in species of animals in the rain forests have huge ramifications affecting animals and humans. Genetics studies on a multitude of diverse species in Malaysia’s rainforest assist scientists in the discovery of cures for deadly illnesses in humans. If deforestation continues to decrease the living space for those animals and plants soon the consequences will be irreversible. With the loss of many related wild species, much genetic diversity is lost, addressing potential future disease outbreaks and climatic changes. The protection of these

animals and plants is crucial to maintain the beauty of the nation as a tropical country and the biodiversity that lives within it.

Because of deforestation's adverse effects on biodiversity, it's important that all Malaysians work together to protect the forests that are home to countless species. Since we are all living in this nature as a community, we are like the subset of Mother nature, but the way human take things for granted from nature nowadays is like the nature is only one of the sources that could earn profit for them. Little do they realize that they actually share the same HOME with those flora and fauna until they think from a bigger picture.

TOP FIVE ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN MALAYSIA DUE TO DEFORESTATION

1. Black Shrew 2. Sumatran Rhinoceros 3. Malayan Tapir

Page 6: Esd project2 final

4. Mouse Deer 5. Orang Utan

Conservation of forests and nature preserves in Malaysia

Forest research institute Malaysia (FRIM) and worldwide fund for nature–Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together on the conservation and sustainable use of forest resources in the country. The aim of the MOU is to strengthen collaboration between the two parties in biodiversity conservation including data sharing and exchanging expertise as well as knowledge resources on forest conservation, endangered species management, sustainable land use change, protected areas management and ecotourism. Forest biodiversity and natural resources are national assets entrusted to our care, as all of us are the members of the nature. We must take this responsibility seriously to ensure these important resources are managed with wisdom and full knowledge of its importance.

INDUSTRIAL LEAD AIR POLLUTION

Page 7: Esd project2 final

INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES LEADS TO AIR POLLUTION

Industrial source is one of the most important earth economy sources in Malaysia. With accelerating urban and industrial growth, huge quantities of harmful waste products have been discharged into the environment. The Air Pollution Index (API) is used by Malaysian government to describe the air quality. The API value is calculated based on the 5 major air pollutants, namely carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and fine dust (PM10). Air Pollutant Index (API) is an indicator for the air quality status at any particular area. The higher the API value, the worse the air condition of the particular area.

The figure beside shows that there are few cities in Malaysia facing the high value of API, especially in Selangor area. These cities are Port Klang, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajay, which are the urban and industrial areas. The main reasons of air

pollution in these cities are the activities that have been undergone by the society, namely industrial and development activities, motor vehicles, power generation, land clearing and so on.

If the severity of air pollution of has no been decreased, it will cause even more serious problems to the natural and human life. One of the most serious problems could be acidification. Acidic compounds, which may harm vegetation and buildings, can be created while chemical reactions involving air pollutants. Furthermore, it change the chemistry of the lakes and streams where the rainwater flows into, harming the aquatic life. Faculty of Applied Sciences, UiTM, had done a short-term study of the state of surface water acidification at Semenyih Dam. The Semenyih Dam is located between Kajang town and Bangi town. Beranang, Seremban, and Nilai are also located within 25 km from Semenyih Dam while Shah Alam is 80 km away. All these towns have industries, businesses and housing areas, which could contribute to anthropogenic pollution.

INDUSTRIAL AREAS

MAIN TYPE OF INDUSTRIES DISTANCE

Beranang Plastic, Electronic, Wood, Furniture, Garment, Concrete, Metal, Stainless Steel, Semiconductors, Food, Rubber and Latex, Packaging, Aluminium and others

15km

Bangi Petrochemical, Automotive Components Manufacturing, Steel Products, Food, Chemical, Die-casting, Plastic,

20km

API Status Health Effect Health Advice

0-50 Good Low pollution without any bad effect to health

No restriction for outdoor activities to the public. Maintain healthy lifestyle

51-100 Moderate Moderate pollution that does not pose any bad effect on health

No restriction for outdoor activities to the public. Maintain healthy lifestyle

101-201 Unhealthy Worsen the health condition of high risk people who is the people with heart and lung complications

Limited outdoor activities for the high-risk people. Public need to reduce the extreme outdoor activities

Page 8: Esd project2 final

Spray Painting, Printing, Plastic and othersNilai Metal, Food, Concrete, Roofing, Furniture, Stainless Steel,

Paint, Rubber, Piping, Motor, Plastic, Resin, Polyester, Automotive Parts Forging and others

20km

Seremban Roofing, Rubber and Plastics, Cement, Concrete, Food, Semiconductors, Furniture, Automotive Parts, Palm Products, Specialty Chemicals, Construction, Air- Conditioning and Electrical, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals and others

25km

Kajang Food, Automotive Parts, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and other related Equipment, Die-casting, Test Equipment and Machines and others

25km

Shah Alam Metal and Steel, Power cables & Conductor Wires, Rubber and Plastic, Automotive Parts, Audio and Electronic Products, Motor Assembly, Food and Beverage, Waste Treatment Plants, Plastics and others

80km

Table: The industrial areas located near the Semenyih Dam

The result shows the mean pH readings at Semenyih Dam varied from pH 6.42 to 8.12, which shows an overall mean above a neutral pH of 7.00. The maximum pH recorded was taken in the middle of the Semenyih Dam. Natural waters normally have pH values in the range of 4 to 9, and most are slightly basic because of the presence of bicarbonates and carbonates of the alkali and alkaline earth elements. Lakes that have pH levels lower than 5.6 are usually classified as very acidic. This result proved that the industries that located nearby Semenyih Dam had caused the lake facing a serious problem, which is acidification.

Humans should take some actions to solve the problems that facing by our nature now, as what issues that faced by nature will actually go back to human themselves. Humans who carry out industrial activities that pollute the environment are actually affecting their health problems as well. It means that nature and community are actually connected each other, so action should be taken to get a win-win situation.

Conclusion

This feeling of home as nature is what ties us to the fact that we are connected to nature, as we came from nature much like all other living creatures. This feeling of home is what is necessary in order for humankind to reconsider that impact that they have on the world and to care. This connection makes people care, and only when they care about something is action taken. In order to make a difference, change the situation of the destruction of nature, humans require this sense of concern so as to protect our planet and ultimately ourselves, as we are apart of nature and nature should be treated as community.

References

Chiras, D. D, (2010). Environmental Science. (8th ed.) Sudbury: Jones and Barlett Publishers

Cunningham, W. P, & Cunningham, M. A, (2011). Environmental Science. (6th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers

Enger, E. D, & Smith, B. F, (2006). Environmental Science. (10th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers

Page 9: Esd project2 final

Golden, D. (2013). SOLVING NATURE’S RIDDLE. Human Place in Nature Fall 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2014 from http://blogs.dickinson.edu/humanplaceinnature2013/tag/nature/

Kantasamy, M. & Sumari, S. M. & Salam, S. M. & Aziz, R. (2007). A short-term study of the state of surface water acidification at Semenyih Dam. The Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 11(1). Retrieved June 18, 2014 from http://www.ukm.my/mjas/v11_n1/45-60P09-use02setup.pdf

Lindsey, R. (2007). Tropical Deforestation. Earth Observatory. Retrieved June 21, 2014 from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update3.php

Wageningen University and Research Centre. (2012). Agriculture is the direct driver for worldwide deforestation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 12, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120925091608.htm

Page 10: Esd project2 final

Individual: Reflective Essay Tan Wei How 0310707

Taman Negara National Park is a perfect place for people who love nature by giving them chances to involve in jungle trekking, hiking, rock climbing, camping, fishing and many more. It is established as one of the most popular ecotourism in Malaysia. For me, ecotourism is actually a kind travel that is environmentally friendly to relatively undisturbed natural areas. So the tourist can enjoy and appreciate the nature. By doing this, conservation can be promoted well. This is why I think that National Park is now

playing an important role to educate the society by giving them a valuable experience that they might never had in their life. It promotes people about the important of the rainforests, which are the Earth biggest and oldest living ecosystems. Tropical rainforests do not just provide a habitat for plants and animals, it also regulate our climate. I noticed this during the jungle trekking activities in the morning. When I was in the jungle at 12pm, although the weather was very sunny, I can feel the temperature is not that high as compared to the town weather. Besides, rainforests also provide a home for indigenous people. For example, when we visited the Orang Asli village, I realized that all the indigenous people are still getting the resources from the forest to continue their daily life, such as woods, bamboos, dry leaves, river water and so on.

But somehow, there is some weaknesses of the National Park that I think can be improved in order to deliver a clearer message about the conservation of nature. Firstly, the accommodation is a very important part for the National Park as the tourists also spend part of their time inside.

Accommodations in National Park include the rest house, chalets, and hostel. It is a good example as they used the woods to build the chalets and bungalows offering home comforts while in the midst of the jungle. It is a wise choice of using the natural materials for the accommodation. But the bad part is they mounted air-conditioners to those chalets and rooms, which I think it is not appropriate to the nature. Everyone knows air-conditioners release CFC that will affect the ozone layer. For me, I think the architect who designed the chalets can improve the ventilation of it to

avoid the application of air-conditioners, as the weather there is already quite cool and windy

Before entering the jungle, we have to take boat across a river, where the floating restaurants are located. In my opinion, it is unnecessary for them to receive money from the tourists for carry them across the river. Many boats can be seen on the river, which I think the engines of those boats exhaust lots of smoke and carbon monoxide to the environment. So I suggest maybe a bride can be built over the river for reducing the usage of boats and also the convenient of the tourists. Or maybe they can replace all the boats with Fresh Air Exhaust (FAE), which was invented in 2004 in order to avoid emission of air pollutant to the environment. In other hand, when we have our lunch and dinner in the floating restaurant, the

Page 11: Esd project2 final

owners of those restaurants used Styrofoam plates and cup to serve us. This is obviously not a proper behavior towards the environment. We all knew that it take a million or more year for Styrofoam to decompose. So I hope that the restaurant owners can use back the plastic or ceramic plates and cups for serving customers. Besides, I also saw they pour all the food waste into the river. This may cause a serious pollution to the river as well as threatening the aquatic life. The authority of the National Park should do some action like warning the owner based on this serious case.

One of the most interesting activities that I had carried out in National Park is canopy walk. It is a 10-15 minutes walk along the canopy, which gave me a wonderful glimpse at the natural world of the rainforest. When I walk across, I can feel the swinging feeling for every step I took. It was not that long that I expected but it was a great experience. A canopy walk is an example of environmentally sensitive construction because it is not easy to build something like this in the middle of the woods. I am not sure about how they build the canopy walk in the National Park and whether they had caused any damage to the tree barks or roots. However, it is better if we can take some concern to avoid damage to the trees while building the canopy walk. Impacts to trees, roots, and the soil

ecosystem should be controlled and minimized to avoid disturbance. Mapping out the critical root zones and designing the installation before they build it can protect roots and soil. Walkways should be suspended over the root zones using piers and anchors to prevent soil compaction. Through careful planning, design and construction, the canopy walk should show how humans are able to build it while working to protect nature and trees as well.

Furthermore, I think the nature guides of the National Park have to be trained and instructed more on the knowledge about the importance of nature as well as the issues that faced by the nature. This may help the tourists to be educated more while listening to the explanation of the nature guides. Besides, it also delivers the awareness message to the society by not just telling them the species of flora and fauna inside the forest. For example, when the nature guide introduces the Tapir to the tourists, he might also say that Tapir is one the top five endangered animals that facing extinction in Malaysia. On the other hand, there is one thing that I found it is quite valuable in the National Park which is those shopkeepers were refund RM 1 to their customers who returned back the empty plastic bottle and tin for them. This kind of behavior should be encouraged more on our society nowadays so that more recyclable rubbish can be collected to reduce garbage.

Tourism, especially ecotourism provides valuable revenue used to support the conservation work of the national parks as well as the education and livelihood of local communities nowadays. Besides, it helps to generate international awareness of conservation and preservation issues, while the tourists can actually help deter illegal poaching activity, assisting the park rangers with their management work. In the other hand, the authority of National Park also plays an important role in delivering the awareness to community. They should retain a high degree of integrity as a true and unspoiled example of a resource. Interdisciplinary crews have to developed management plans that comprised of appropriate professionals with the accurate information in order to achieve a balance between preservation and avoidance of impact to the park resources and values. Lastly, it is important for the National Park to provide a quality visitor experience instead of emphasizing “mass-

Page 12: Esd project2 final

tourism” at the expense of park resources and values.