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Food Production
• Most of the world’s food supply is produced by growing CROPS, and keeping ANIMALS
• Increasing food production is important as world’s increasing population needs to be fed

How to increase food production?

1. Using agricultural Chemicals
→ Fertilisers (more mineral), Insecticides, Herbicides (kills weed)
→ Expensive but cost outweighed by increased quantity and quality
2. Selective Breeding
→ Outcome: New & improved plants and animals
3. Agricultural Machinery
→ Using tractors and harvesters

Monocultures : Crop plants are grown as a large area of a single variety

Con: Reduce habitats available for other species

Causes of Famine:
• Food is distributed unequally on the planet
• War -> prevents harvesting and working the land
• Weather: drought – no crops, animals die ; flooding – no crops
• Population too big → not enough food provided (Food prices may rise due to the demand)

Conservation: process of looking after the natural environment

AIM – maintain / increase range of different species living in an area => BIODIVERSITY

Greatest threat to biodiversity => LOSS OF HABITAT

• Species is adapted to live in a particular habitat
• Habitat destroyed → species nowhere to live → extinct

Habitats under threat:

1) Tropical rainforest
→ Tropical Rainforest - very high biodiversity as compared with anywhere else in the world
→ important to conserve them
→ When they're cut down or burned, thousands of different species are destroyed
2) Wetland (e.g. swamps)
→ They're drained so animals can be more easily farmed
→ Farm animals in large numbers
→ Land cannot produce enough vegetation to support them
→ Land becomes: "Semi-desert"
© Chin Yen Tung
Harmful Effects of humans on the environment:
Damage Example Main causes Possible solutions
air global enhanced greenhouse effect, reduce use of fossil fuels; stop
pollution warming caused by release of carbon using CFCs; produce less organic
dioxide, methane, CFCs and waste and/or collect and use
nitrogen oxides methane produced from landfill
sites
acid rain sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides burn less fossil fuel; use catalytic
from the burning of fossil fuels converters on cars
habitat deforestation destruction of forests, especially provide alternative sources of
destruction rainforests, for wood and for land income for people living near
for farming, roads, and houses rainforests
loss of draining wetlands for housing and protect areas of wetlands
wetlands land for farming
water toxic untreated effluent from industry; impose tighter controls on industry
pollution chemicals run-off from mining operations and mining
eutrophication sewage and fertilisers running into treat all sewage before discharge
streams into streams; use fewer fertilisers
oil spills shipwrecks; leakages from impose tighter controls on shipping
undersea oil wells and the oil industry
species loss of habitat see deforestation and wetlands see deforestation and wetlands
destruction above above
damage from careless use of insecticides and development of more specific and
pesticides herbicides less persistent pesticides; use
alternative control methods (e.g.
biological control)
damage from overfishing, greatly reducing impose controls on methods and
fishing populations of species caught for amount of fishing allowed
food; accidental damage to other
animals such as dolphins

Sustainable Resources
Def: Resources which can be removed from the environment without running out

Examples of resources Examples of non-sustainable Examples of sustainable

resources resources:
1) Food 1) Fossil Fuel 1) Fish (only if we don't eat
2) Fossil Fuel too much)
3) Mineral (metal ores) 2) Wood (only if we
replant the trees that
we cut down)

© Chin Yen Tung

Glass
* Made of: Sand (silicon oxide), lime (calcium oxide), soda (sodium oxide) -> non sustainable
How is glass made? by heating these* chemicals to high temperatures
→ produces a lot of CO2
Recycling Glass:
1) Used glass is crushed
2) It's melted at high temperatures. Then it's used to make new glass objects
→ Produces lesser CO2 and saves raw materials
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Plastic
* Made of: Fossil fuels → non sustainable
Help conserve by:
• Reusing them (e.g Bottles & Packaging)
• Recycling them: Using plastic from a used object to make a
different object
Used plastic can be used to make: Fleece clothing, Packaging
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Paper
* Made of: cellulose fibres from plants (trees) → non sustainable
Help conserve by: Recycling
1) Wastepaper is mixed with water & chemicals to form pulp
2) Passed through filters: remove glue
3) treated to remove printing ink
4) Clean cellulose fibres is left which can be made into new paper

Advantages:
→ Reduce number of trees cut down
→ But most mills use trees specifically for making paper & replant the number of trees cut down
→ So instead, recycling paper causes less water & land pollution, less energy used (but need to consider
energy used in transporting & collecting paper)
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Metals
* Found in: metal ores underground → non sustainable
Mining metal ores:
• uses a lot of energy (Fossil fuels)
• damages habitat
Metals that can be recycled: Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Steel (iron), Zinc
→ Saves 95% energy used in mining & extracting aluminium

© Chin Yen Tung

Sewage Treatment (Recycling water)
What is Sewage?
• waste liquid that have come from houses, factories etc
• mostly water, contains other substances
• can harm the environment
• untreated = raw sewage → contains a lot of bacteria and microorganisms which can get people sick

Sewage Treatment → water is treated to remove pathogens. Once treated, the water can be used again.

2 Methods:
1) trickling filters

• liquid from the settlement tank is sprinkled over a trickling bed

• trickling bed: small stones and clinker (cement)
: microorganisms live on the stones and feed on the nutrients in the sewage
E.g. 1. protoctists: bacteria
E.g. 2. fungi: soluble nutrients

© Chin Yen Tung

 2) activated sludge

• activated → microoganisms are present

• If sewage contains substances that harm the microorganisms, both methods may not work.
• Substances e.g.: disinfectants, mercury, detergents etc
• To solve the problem, the sewage can be diluted before entering the trickling filter bed or
activated sludge tank

© Chin Yen Tung

Sustainable development
Def: Providing for the needs of an increasing human population without harming the environment

When population , we need more:

i. Houses
ii. Roads
iii. Industries
iv. Food

© Chin Yen Tung

Conserving Forests
Ways to conserve forests:
1) Governments can refuse to grant license to companies who want to cut down valuable forests.
2) Educate the public about the importance of forests and how to conserve it.

Primary forests
• Contains huge no. of different species of trees, which provide habitats for many different species of
animals.

1a) Selective Felling

Def: Cut down small portions of the forests

Pros Cons
✓ Can continue provide  Can cause damage to the
habitats for animals. forest due to
✓ Not as much CO2 released urbanisation.
to the atmosphere.

1b) Coppicing
• Cut down to 1m or less, then left to regrow
• Remains untouched for many years.
• Coppicing done in a cycle, with different
parts of the forest being coppiced each year

2) Education
• Educate people on the importance the forests
• Use better, renewable source of fuel

Conserving Fish Stocks

Why should we conserve Fish Stocks?
o Fish population 
o Not enough fish to breed and sustain the population

How?
1) By implementing Quotas
→ Control no. of fish caught
→ Allow larger quotas for species that are not
under threat
→ Allow low to none for the species that are
under threat

2) Restocking
→ Breed large numbers of fish in fish hatcheries,
then release them
→ More frequently for freshwater fishes than seawater
© Chin Yen Tung
Issues:
a) Difficult to enforce international regulations
b) Fish move around so they might be under threat in other countries
c) If fisherman do accidentally catch the endangered species they would have to release it back to the
sea, less income

Endangered Species
Def: A species of plant or animal that was threatened and seriously at risk of extinction

Examples:
Snow Leopard Grizzly Bear Spix's Macaw

Georgia Aster Dragon's Blood Tree Western Prairie Fringed Orchid

Habitat destruction → When a natural habitat is altered dramatically that it no longer supports the species
it originally sustained.

Causes and Impacts of Habitat Destruction:

1) Agriculture, Land Use and Development → Farmlands, houses
• Removal of organic materials in soils
• Soil erosion
• Loss of wildlife habitats and riverbeds

2) Forest Fire (man-made & natural causes)

• Increases carbon dioxide levels
• Heavy smog
• Loss of forest habitats

© Chin Yen Tung

3) Pollution → industrial activities, agricultural
• Causes respiratory problems (asthma, lung cancer)
• Toxic substances and chemicals seep into soils, rivers, seas

4) Global Warming ; Climate Change

• Increases carbon dioxide levels
• Sea level  - due to melting of icebergs and glaciers
• Shifting of wildlife populations and habitats

5) Fishing (Bottom Trawling Fishing)

• Nets dragged across the ocean floor, clear-cutting a
swath of habitat
• physical destruction of bottom dwelling plants
• pollutants sink down the seabed and will mix with
plankton
• the pollutants will move into the food chain,
creating harmful algae, oxygen-deficient dead zone

6) Sea & Coastal Defences → Rip-Rap, Groynes, Tidal Barriers

• A disturbance to habitats of seabirds and fishes
• Physical changes in coastal landscape
• Ecosystem unbalanced

How to prevent habitat destruction?

I. Natural resource management, preserve lands for animals
II. Education, awareness
III. Reduce pollutions that can damage habitats
IV. Monitor and test water quality
V. Plant more trees or plants

Hunting
Effect of Hunting to the Environment & Human:
Pros
• Population control
• Balance Ecosystem
• A source of food
• Profit → Business
Cons
• Extinction of many animals
• Pollution & Global Warming
• Search hunting grounds →
Travel long distanced trips →
Carbon Dioxide increase
• Unbalance Ecosystem

How to Minimize the Impact of Hunting?

a) Rules & Regulation, Laws
b) Don't hunt down all of them
c) Avoid buying products with animal parts
d) Education
© Chin Yen Tung
How do animals go extinct?
a) Pollution (CH4 & CO2) e) Lack of genetic diversity
b) Climate Change f) Lack of food
c) Disease g) Human predation
d) Loss of habitat

Introduced species
→ New species that are introduced by humans into an ecosystem can threaten the existence of native
species. It has been accidentally or deliberately transported to the new location by human activity

Examples:
Sea walnut Small Indian mongoose Killer algae

Zebra Mussel European crab Cane toad

Conserving endangered species

✓ Educate your family about endangered species in your area, and what they can do to help
✓ Monitoring and protecting the species in its natural habitat
✓ Recycle and buy sustainable products
✓ Grow native plants
✓ Volunteer your time to protect the wildlife in your area
✓ Black out the Black Market (travel, the souvenirs we buy are under threat. Avoid supporting the
market in illegal wildlife including tortoiseshell, ivory, and coral)

Conserving plant species → build seed banks

✓ Seeds are often able to survive for many years in a dormant state (sleeping).
✓ They are able to germinate when conditions are right
✓ Make use of that by collecting and storing seeds of as many different plant species as possible.
✓ They can be kept safe for long periods of time
✓ If species is threatened with extinction, we have "back-up"
© Chin Yen Tung
Reasons for conservation programmes:
o we have no rights to make any species extinct
o if we damage the ecosystem, we could harm ourselves
o losing a species from an ecosystem could harm other species along the food chain
o losing plant species mean we could lose potential medicines
o we could lose potentially useful alleles of wild plants

Habitat Destruction
• Habitats are destroyed to make land and for mining
• This adds pollutants and removes key species

Deforestation
• The cutting down of large numbers of trees
• Tropical rainforests provide perfect conditions
• High species diversity

Effects
1) Soil erosion: flooding
2) Loss of biodiversity: extinction
3) Water cycle: flooding
4) Increase greenhouse effect: lesser photosynthesis

Pollution
• Greenhouse gases → needed to keep earth warm (greenhouse effect)

Carbon Dioxide
• Transparent
• Ground is warmed and emits infrared
• Carbon dioxide does not let all infrared pass through and is kept in the atmosphere → Earth’s warmer

© Chin Yen Tung

Effects:
Negative Positive
1) Low areas are flooded 1) Might delay ice age
2) Change in climate 2) Increased photosynthesis in some part
3) Violent storms of the world → higher yield of crops

How to reduce greenhouse effect

1) Burn lesser fossil fuels
2) Stop / reduce deforestation
3) Decreasing rubbish

Acid Rain

Sulfur dioxide (S + O) Nitrogen oxide (N + O)

→ Irritation → Dissolves in rain (pH 4)

→ Worsen asthma and bronchitis
→ Poisonous to plants

Effects
1) Washes off the nutrients in the soil causing the plants to be deprived of those nutrients, thus, killing
the plants
2) Aluminium ions (poisonous to fish) are washed out to rivers
3) Acid rain causes the river / lakes to be acidifies and thus, killing the fishes

Why is acid rain hard to counter?

• These gasses (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide) are carried by the wind and blown to areas far away
Solutions:
• Use wind / wave / solar powered energy
• Adding catalytic converters to petrol burning cars to reduce the nitrogen oxides produced

Chemical Waste
What is chemical waste?
→ Discharge of chemical waste into waterways
→ Contains heavy metals that is poisonous to living organism by stopping enzymes from working

Why is chemical waste dangerous?

− If chemical waste gets into rivers, streams, or seas, they may kill almost every living thing in the
area of water

© Chin Yen Tung

Nuclear Fall Out
Causes of Nuclear Fall Out:
1) Nuclear bombs
2) Accidents at nuclear power stations

Effects:
DNA mutate → Cancer → Radiation sickness and burns

Eutrophication
• 2 main sources of pollution that reduce oxygen levels in freshwater: fertilisers & untreated sewage
• Untreated sewage provides a good food source for bacteria
• The bacteria population would grow so much that the increase of anaerobic respiration of the
bacteria would deplete oxygen levels

Fertiliser

→ Usually contains phosphate and nitrate

→ Nitrate is very soluble in water

Fertiliser is washed off by rain (leached)

Leached nitrates might run into

streams and rivers

Algaes & green plants will grow faster when

supplied with these extra nitrates

Algaes & green plants might cover the water, causing plants below
the water to die. Even plants on top of the water would die

Great for bacteria to feed on which are decomposers. The bacteria

would breed rapidly, causing a sudden increase in anaerobic respiration

Causes other organisma such as fishes to die

© Chin Yen Tung

Solution
→ Use organic fertilisers which don’t contain so much nitrates compared to the inorganic ones. Organic
fertilisers release their nutrients over a long period of time, allowing crops to absorb efficiently
→ Only apply fertilisers to field with growing plants
→ Should not apply fertilisers right before rain is forecasted
→ Fertiliser should not be sprayed near streams or rivers

Pesticides
• Substance that kills organisms which damages crops
• Controls organisms that transmit diseases (e.g. mosquito)

E.g.
1) Insecticides → kills insects that eat crops
2) Fungicides → controls fungi grown on crops
3) Herbicides → controls weed

DDT ( Insect-killing pesticide):

✓ DDT is a persistent insecticide which does not break down easily
✓ It remains in the soil or bodies of insects, and other organisms which ingests the insects
✓ DDT accumulates every time the insect is eaten, and large concentrations of DDT can build up in the
body (harmful)
✓ DDT is now banned in some parts of the world

Female contraceptive hormone

→ Hormones taken by females as a method of birth control
→ Some are excreted as urine to sewage and waterways
→ animals are affected – can prevent testosterone working in animals’
bodies
– may be the reason why sperm count of male is
lower than it was 20 years ago

Non-biodegradable Plastics
o Made from fossil fuels
o Cheap
o Lightweight
o Can be shaped and coloured

Problems:
1. Plastic is non-biodegradable → accumulates
2. Littering → unsightly and dangerous
− Marine life may mistake it as jellyfish
− Animals can get trapped and choke
3. Air pollution → manufacturing and burning plastics
© Chin Yen Tung