Natural Resource Management

Ms. Brock

Introduction to Ecology

Human activities upset the balance that exists between living and non-living parts of Earth

Clear cutting of trees, excessive fishing, pollution of the atmosphere, water and soil

Loss of habitat or food plants and animals become extinct

Water sources may be contaminated poisoning living organisms

Climate change due to buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Ecosystems A community of

interdependent plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the habitats in which they live

Abiotic – oxygen, water, nutrients, light, soil

Biotic – plants, animals, micro-organisms

Large (grassland of Okanagan valley) or small (rotting log)

Alter the natural environment negatively affect the health of ecosystems

Flora and fauna

Clear cutting – deer, wolves, grizzly bears

Runoff from mining – fish

Energy flows through ecosystems and this is done by organisms eating others

Food Chains Shows the eating relationships

in an ecosystem Producers – make their own

food Convert energy from sun or

abiotic material

Moss, algae, plants

Consumers – can’t make own food Eat producers or other

consumers

Primary consumers (herbivores)

Secondary consumers – omnivore, carnivore

Tertiary consumers

Interactive Food Chain - CD

Food Webs

Shows a number of food chains all at once and how they interrelate

Very complex – land and marine food chains can interlink

Disappearance of any one member of a food web will impact many others as well

Interactive Food Web

Assignment – Ecology Crossword Puzzle, Food Chains and Food Webs

Sustainability

Nature exists in a fine balance

Disrupting any part of the natural environment can have serious consequences

Burn fossil fuels, flood valleys to build dams for hydroelectricity, log forests, mine deposits of ore or minerals

Rate at which we can use a resource that will allow it to continue to be used in the future and that does minimal harm to the environment

Finding alternatives to non-renewable resources

Managing our use of renewable reources so we don’t use them faster than can build back.

First Nations World View and Sustainability

Stewardship – only used what they needed from the environment

If resources not harvested with respect whole community would suffer

Respect for the land and its offerings

Necessary to give back to the land some of what they took

Interior Salish – return inner organs of salmon to the river

Teachings of Respect Video

Which of these statements best summarizes the First Nations view?

A. First Nations people take only what they need from the environment with little thought to the impact on its ecosystems.

B. First Nations people believe in caring for and maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystem, and that it is an important part of their survival and cultural responsibility.

C. First Nations people believe in caring for and maintaining biodiversity of the ecosystem but it is not necessarily a part of the cultural responsibility.

D. First Nations people believe in using whatever natural resources they need for survival.

Western View

Early settlers – did not have same view or respect for the land as the First Nations

BC’s natural resources – something to be exploited

Goal – extract as much as they could to make money

Harvested large amounts of logs, minerals, fish and other resources

Little thought to what the consequences would be in the future

Resource misuse became a problem in several generations

Resource Misuse

Forestry Practices Clear cutting – cheapest

logging method mass destruction of entire forest ecosystems

No thought to reforestation

Loss of old growth forests and habitat for species

Selective logging & Silviculture

Allow regeneration and to keep a sustained yield

Mountain pine beetle, major forest fires

Fishing Practices

BC running out of fish

Over-fishing and human activity

Declining fish stocks

Water pollution

Ocean temperatures & climatic factors

Aquaculture – fish farms are being developed

Resource Misuse

Agricultural Practices

Population grew agricultural land shrunk

Farming land residential or industrial building

Agricultural land reserves

Stop development of prime farmland

Increased competition from markets in Mexico and US

Forests cleared, natural vegetation replaced with crops, Wetlands drained, indigenous species threatened to extinction

Soil degradation and contamination of surface and ground water

Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, agricultural wastes

Industrial agricultural practices disease in livestock like avian bird flu which destroyed the poultry industry and BSE or mad cow disease

Resource Misuse

Mining Practices Mining activity – Kimberley, Tumbler Ridge, Yale, Nelson, Comox

and Nanaimo

Ghost towns – Barkerville, Sandon, Britannia

Environmental damage

Open-pit mining & underground mining – change the landscape and pollution caused by acid rock drainage ARD (acid mine drainage AMD)

Energy Use Over Time

Throughout history we have relied on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for food, shelter, fuel, and industry.

Learn some of the ways energy has changed over time

Learn ways we can reduce our energy use to minimize our impact on the environment

History of Energy Use

Prehistoric – relied on food and the Sun for energy

Sun – warmth; food – alive

Fire – another source of heat and a way to cook food, way to capture animals as well

Over 5000 years ago Wind – boats –

transportation

Domestic animals – transportation, food

2,500 years ago Windmills, waterwheels –

grind grain

Agricultural advances – increased sustainability

History of Energy Use

Modern Age Industrialization – coal

Machines, factories, steam powered machines, steam engine, improved transportation

First industrial Revolution (1760-1860) – energy consumption tripled

Second Industrial Age (1860-1914) – electricity, internal combustion engine – energy 115 times more than prehistoric

Coal till WWII – petroleum

Automobile – dominant form of transportation

Consumption of oil and gas – not sustainable

History of Energy Use

Information Age Computer and telecommunications - less human power

Computers, copiers, wireless devices, electric washers

Computers, cell phone towers, digital cameras, music players – electricity – water

Nuclear power

Choices of energy for heat and fuel

How can we conserve and use our energy more efficiently?

Energy Use Today Main sources of energy

Oil, natural gas, woodwaste or biomass, hydroelectricity, coal

Factories, fuel cars, communication Homes – natural gas, electricity, oil and propane Energy use from greatest energy consumption to

least Heating our homes

Lighting

Running appliances

Heating Water

Saving Energy Conservation of energy – use less energy to help our

limited supplies last longer and reduce the amount of pollution

Examples: Take more showers instead of baths

Reduce the amount of time in the shower

Wash clothing in cold water

Hang clothing to dry, turn the water off when brushing your teeth

Fill a sink for rinsing instead of letting the water flow freely

Lower your thermostat

Saving Energy More Examples:

Reduce the number of air-conditioned rooms

Turn off your computer when not in use

Turn off the radio, television, or stereo when you are out

Use energy-efficient products

Repair drafty doorways, and windows

Any others?

Energy loss from a standard bulb is 90% heat. CFC bulbs last ten times longer.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Thinking about the Future

Coal and gas – based on non-renewable energy sources

Alternative energy sources Reasons in the car industry:

Reserves of oil – gasoline. Demand for fossil fuels will exceed availability causing a major energy crisis

Greenhouse gas emissions from car fuel contribute to climate change

Ever-increasing taxes on fuel is making gasoline expensive for consumers

Thinking about the Future Scientists – alternative fuels made from renewable

energy sources Biofuel – solid, liquid, or gas obtained from biological

material

Biofuel vs. fossil fuel fossils fuels from dead organic material for millions of years under great pressure, biofuels from biological material that was just alive

Plant materials & organic wastes, Produced from alcohol, methanol, and ethanol

Two main – ethanol & biodiesel (made from fats – vegetable oil, cooking oils, plant extracts, and animal fat)

Alternative vehicles – hybrid cars, electric cars, solar cars, and hydrogen cars

Natural Resource Management Steps

processes

activities that we take to minimize our impact on the environment

incorporate the opinions, perspectives, and needs of different stakeholders

Stakeholders opinions Focused on harvesting

resources to maintain jobs and a strong economy

Seek a balance between jobs and a healthy environment

Minimize our human impact on the environment at all costs

Others fall somewhere else in the spectrum

Natural Resource Management Management of resources

so available to many for the greatest amount of time and with the least disruption to the natural environment

Early history little to no resource management

Today greater consideration of the interests and concerns of different groups

Key Stakeholders Government

First Nations

Resource Companies and Industry

Environmentalists

Eco-tourists

Stakeholders – Government Federal & provincial laws to protect our environment and natural

resources

Limit type and amount of activity, sustainability initiatives

Natural resources Canada – writing policies for sustainable development of natural resources

Federal Gov’t – what happens on private property – owns what is below the surface – dig in yard and find gold – federal gov’t or crown Sub-surface rights – oil, natural gas, coal, and minerals

Provincial Level – pass laws Enforce strict standards for environmental protection, reforestation, land

reclamation, and restoration

All sectors of the gov’t – carbon neutral by 2010. – Achieved for 3 yrs now

First province to achieve

Stakeholders – First Nations

Desire to control their traditional lands and profit from its resources

Complete treaties that will grant them full control of their traditional territories and the resources found on them

Improve the lives of their people by providing jobs and an economy based on resource use

Responsible, sustainable way

Stakeholders – Resource Companies and Industry Harvesting, processing,

manufacturing, and sale of natural resources

Past primary motive – make as big a profit as possible from resources, provide long term jobs for employees

Today Logging/Forestry Replanting areas

Provide management plans for regeneration

Soil protection plans

Silviculture plans

Biodiversity maintenance plans

Ecosystem management plans

Limited clear-cutting

Stakeholders – Resource Companies and Industry Regeneration

Natural Regeneration allowing new trees to grow from seeds dropped by older trees

in the area

Costs less than replanting but takes more time to produce a mature forest

Replanting Planting of new trees to replace the ones that have been

logged

Tending Weeding out non-commercial species that are competing with

the trees, fertilizing the seedlings, protecting against fire and disease

Stakeholders - Environmentalists

Committed to the protection of the environment Environmental movement – people who work

towards sustainable management of resources and protection and stewardship of ecosystems

Public pressure plays an important role in the management of natural resources

Stakeholders – Eco-tourists

Companies and business that make money by showing people the natural beauty and scenery that our province has to offer

Rely on natural beauty for livelihood and want to see it protected

Want our province’s natural landscape to remain untouched for others to enjoy and for them to make a living from