ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ALINO, FRANCESCA CONCEPCION

2-AB-PSY
EC2
FRIDAY 5:30 TO 8 PM
DEAN EDUARDO T. SENAJON
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QUESTION 1
Question 1
QUESTION 1

1.ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE
MAIN COMPONENTS. DISCUSS
EACH OF THE FOLLOWING
COMPONENTS.
1.1Nature itself and its change overtime;

1.2How humans use nature, positively and

negatively; and
1.3The influence of myths, religion, and science.
 1.1 NATURE
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ITSELF AND ITS

CHANGE
OVERTIME;

Environmental changes through our
history involves two processes, both
natural and man-made. Through the
course of time, this has influenced
changes and natural systems
transform the sun's energy into living
matter and cause changes by cycling
materials through geological,
biological, oceanic and atmospheric
processes.
From stated above, natural processes
are one of the big two of which
impacted change through our
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environment. Geological Processes
are processes affecting the geologic
structure or the manifestation of
transition through the Earth's physical
structure. Such processes are
diagenesis, Earthquakes, erosion,
glaciation, hydrothermal processes,
isostacy, land subsidence,
liquefaction, metamorphism, sediment
transport, sedimentation, tectonic
processes, volcanic activity, Earth
tides, deformation, soil formation,
magnetic storms, and mass wasting.
Another natural process is
1.1 NATURE ITSELF AND ITS CHANGE OVERTIME;
Atmospheric which includes various
interactions of the atmosphere,
biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere,
and lithosphere. Atmospheric
Processes are the result of complex
Earth-Sun interactions and include
weather and climate. Oceanic
Processes are those interactions and
transitions that happens physically,
biologically, or chemically, actively
affecting the seas and oceans. Among
these are ocean circulation, ocean
currents, tides, ocean waves, sea ice,
coastal erosion and deposition, and
marine pollution.
3
 1.2 HOW HUMANS
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USE NATURE,
POSITIVELY AND
NEGATIVELY;

Environmental changes would always
be influenced by human activities.
These activities has resulted to great
numbers of impact that are both good
and bad. Human activities such as re-
plantation, natural farming, nature
innovation and using of science to the
betterment of the growth of all things
considered in and through
environmental science and history.
These actions has caused numerous
good impacts, such as the using of
clean energy like solar-powered
transitions, awareness of various
benefits of new and old discoveries of
produce, and taking another step
forward in animal, both domestic and
wildlife, preservation and usage.
These said activities has such impacts
that has made various worldwide
campaigns that are all active as of this
moment. Yet, as all things are to be
considered, there are cons such as
how humans take so much from the
earthly resources and not being able
to give back or to replace as much as
we took, or at least a half of it.
These actions have caused various
unprecedented disasters that has
caused mass change through history
and has caused many people and
animals alike to experience
devastating results.
Although it may seem like progress, or
innovation, lacking of the
understanding that we are taking so
much and not giving as much in return
can be the end of the beautiful
resource we call Earth.

SAQ-2-MIDTERM 1.2HOW HUMANS USE NATURE, POSITIVELY AND 4

NEGATIVELY;
 1.3 THE INFLUENCE
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OF MYTHS,
RELIGION, AND
SCIENCE.
There are specific details that contrast to what
humans do when they are to relate their
actions, or as to what this paper have, the
processes we humans do. Through the eyes of
science, relative processes are different as to
what approach is given. Approaches to an
explanation is always searched and found.
There is always a reason and this reason is
always out there and can be found.
The approach towards myths or spiritual belief
is that there is no reason other than it is
dedicated to them; that is something they trust
to move and to be blessed to
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them, as pertaining to examples such
as farmers. There are many that their
approach towards nature that it is a
blessing and regards it with such
approach that differs so much to
science. Although they have
interconnection such as how the world
and man is made and how things are all
considered towards life itself yet the
approach always differs, how humans
believe science and spiritual beliefs
affect the surroundings and our Earth
itself.
1.3 THE INFLUENCE OF MYTHS, RELIGION, AND 5
SCIENCE.
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QUESTION 2
Question 2
QUESTION 2

2. ATTEMPT TO TRACE BACK

THE HISTORY OF THE
PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE AND BRIEFLY DESCRIBE
EACH.

 PHILIPPINE
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ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE
Environmental History has been described variously as
the interdisciplinary study of the relations of culture,
technology and nature through time by historians such
as Donald Worster and as the historically documented
part of the story of the life and death, not of human
individuals but of societies and species, in terms of
their relationship with the world around them. There is
some disagreement about whether the natural world
constitutes any kind of order or pattern that we can
know and, if it does, whether that order can be
apprehended by means of science or not.
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There is also debate on what is
natural and what is not, whether
indigenous people managed the whole
environment or only some part of it,
how much was wilderness and how
much was mythical. There are
divergent opinions over the extent to
which nature influences human affairs,
some taking the position of limited
environmental determinism, others
insisting that culture determines all.
PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 7
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QUESTION 3
Question 3
QUESTION 3

3. WHAT IS PRESIDENTIAL
DECREE NO. 1151? WHY IS IT
IMPORTANT? WHAT IS
PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENT SYSTEM?
PERSONALLY, HOW EFFECTIVE
DO YOU THINK WAS THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF PD NO.
1151?
 PRESIDENTIAL
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DECREE NO. 1151
Presidential Decree No. 1151
WHEREAS, the individual and, at times, conflicting demands
of population growth, urbanization, industrial expansion, rapid
natural resources utilization and increasing technological
advances have resulted in a piece-meal-approach concept of
environmental protection;
WHEREAS, such tunnel-vision concept is not conducive to the
attainment of an ideal environmental situation where man and
nature can thrive in harmony with one another; and
WHEREAS, there is now an urgent need to formulate an
intensive, integrated program of environmental protection that
will bring about a concerted effort towards the protection of the
entire spectrum of the environment through a requirement of
environmental impact assessments and statements;
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Section 1. Policy. -- It is hereby declared a continuing policy
of the State (a) to create, develop, maintain, and improve
conditions under which man and nature can thrive in
productive and enjoyable harmony with each other, (b) to
fulfill the social, economic and other requirements of present
and future generations of Filipinos, and (c) to insure the
attainment of an environmental quality that is conducive to a
life of dignity and well-being.
Section 2. Goal. -- In pursuing this policy, it shall be the
responsibility of the Government, in cooperation with
concerned private organizations and entities, to use all
practicable means, consistent with other essential
considerations of national policy, in promoting the general
welfare to the end that the Nation may
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1151 9
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(a) recognize, discharge and fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee and guardian of the environment for
succeeding generations, (b) assure the people of a safe, decent, healthful, productive and aesthetic environment, (c)
encourage the widest exploitation of the environment without degrading it, or endangering human life, health and safety
or creating conditions adverse to agriculture, commerce and industry, (d) preserve important historic and cultural aspects
of the Philippine heritage, (e) attain a rational and orderly balance between population and resource use, and (f) improve
the utilization of renewable and non-renewable resources.
Section 3. Right to a Healthy Environment. -- In furtherance of these goals and policies, the Government recognizes
the right of the people to a healthful environment. It shall be the duty and responsibility of each individual to contribute to
the preservation and enhancement of the Philippine environment.

Effectiveness towards the matter of which Filipinos are to recognize the fact they are already mandated to make, maintain
and strive for the Philippines to be a better environment towards the health, well-being, strength and intellectuality of the
citizens. Therefore, we are to make ourselves duly reminded that we are obliged because it is already a part and
implemented in the Philippine Constitution.

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QUESTION 4
Question 4
QUESTION 4

4. DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES OF

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

4.1 maintain diversity and redundancy

4.2 manage connectivity
4.3 manage slow variables and feedbacks
4.4 foster complex adaptive systems thinking
4.5 encourage learning
4.6 broaden participation and
4.7 promote polycentric governance.
 4.1 MAINTAIN
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DIVERSITY AND
REDUNDANCY
In a social-ecological system, components such as species,
landscape types, knowledge systems, actors, cultural groups or
institutions all provide different options for responding to change
and dealing with uncertainty and surprise.
Systems with many different components (e.g species, actors or
sources of knowledge) are generally more resilient than systems
with few components. Redundancy provides ‘insurance’ within a
system by allowing some components to compensate for the loss
or failure of others. Redundancy is even more valuable if the
components providing the redundancy also react differently to
change and disturbance (response diversity).
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Redundancy is even more valuable if the components
providing it also react differently to change and disturbance.
This is what we call response diversity (differences in the size
or scale of the components performing a particular function
give them different strengths and weaknesses, so that a
particular disturbance is unlikely to present the same risk to
all components at once). For example, seed dispersal in
Ugandan forests is performed by a range of different-sized
mammals, from mice to chimpanzees. While the small
mammals are negatively affected by local disturbances, the
larger, more mobile species are not and can therefore
maintain their function as seed dispersers.
4.1 MAINTAIN DIVERSITY AND REDUNDANCY 12
 4.2 MANAGE
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CONNECTIVITY

Connectivity can be both a good and a bad thing. High levels of Closely situated reef habitats with no physical barriers
connectivity can facilitate recovery after a disturbance but highly enhance recolonisation of species that may have been lost
connected systems can also spread disturbances faster. after disturbances such as storms. The basic mechanism is
that connections to areas that serve as refuges can
Connectivity can both enhance and reduce the resilience of accelerate the restoration of disturbed areas, thus ensuring
social-ecological systems and the ecosystem services they the maintenance of functions needed to sustain the reef and
produce. Well-connected systems can overcome and recover their associated ecosystem services. Perhaps the most
from disturbances more quickly, but overly connected systems positive effect of landscape connectivity is that it can
may lead to the rapid spread of disturbances across the entire contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity. This is because
system so that all components of the system are impacted. among well-connected habitat patches local species
Connectivity can influence the resilience of ecosystem services extinctions may be compensated by the inflow of species
in a range of ways. It may safeguard ecosystem services against from the surroundings. Reduced connectivity caused by
a disturbance either by facilitating recovery or preventing a anthropo-genic fragmentation, like road or dams, has a
disturbance from spreading. The effect on recovery is negative effect on population viability, particularly among
demonstrated in coral reefs. large mammal populations.
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 4.3 MANAGE
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SLOW VARIABLES
AND FEEDBACKS
Social-ecological systems can often be “configured” in several
different ways. In other words, there are many ways in which all
the variables in a system can be connected and interact with one
another, and these different configurations provide different
ecosystem services.
Social-ecological systems are complex adaptive systems, or self-
organizing systems that can adjust and reorganize in response to
disturbance and change, such as floods or the migration of
people into urban areas. In most cases, dampening feedback
helps to counteract disturbance and change so that the system
recovers and keeps working in the same way, producing the
same set of ecosystem services.
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An example of this is the shift from clear to algae-dominated
water in shallow lakes. Clear water shallow lakes usually
have many rooted plants growing on the lake floor. These
plants absorb phosphorous and nitrogen runoff from
agricultural and urban development in the surrounding
catchment and help to keep the water clear. In other words,
they provide a damping feedback that counteracts the effects
of nutrient pollution. However, there is a limit to how much
disturbance or change a system can be exposed to before
the dampening feedbacks are overwhelmed.
4.3 MANAGE SLOW VARIABLES AND FEEDBACKS 14
 4.4 FOSTER
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COMPLEX ADAPTIVE
SYSTEMS THINKING
In order for us to continue to benefit from a range of eco-system
services, we need to understand the complex inter-actions and
dynamics that exist between actors and ecosystems in a social-
ecological system.
Although CAS thinking does not directly enhance the resilience
of a system, acknowledging that social-ecological systems are
based on a complex and unpredictable web of connections and
interdependencies is the first step towards management actions
that can foster resilience. As the complexities of the world around
us become more apparent, our understanding of how to behave
in it changes accordingly. Researchers across a wide range of
disciplines now debate, embrace and advocate complexity
thinking as imperative for understanding and dealing with
pressing current social-ecological challenges.
SAQ-2-MIDTERM 4.4 FOSTER COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS THINKING
Nevertheless, fostering a change in people’s frame of
reference is much more than just adding to their knowledge
base; it implies changing their mindset and behavior. A
complex adaptive systems (CAS) approach means stepping
away from reductionist thinking and accepting that within a
social-ecological system, several connections are occurring
at the same time on different levels. Furthermore, complexity
thinking means accepting unpredictability and uncertainty,
and acknowledging a multitude of perspectives. To
understand a social-ecological system we need to
understand how actors within the system think, and how their
‘mental models’ influence the actions that they take.
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 4.5 ENCOURAGE
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LEARNING
Knowledge of a system is always partial and incomplete and
social-ecological systems are no exceptions. Efforts to enhance
the resilience of social-ecological systems must therefore be
supported by continuous learning and experimentation.
Learning and experimentation through adaptive and collaborative
management is an important mechanism for building resilience in
social-ecological systems. It ensures that different types and
sources of knowledge are valued and considered when
developing solutions, and leads to greater willingness to
experiment and take risks. Because social-ecological systems
are always in development there is a constant need to revise
existing knowledge to enable adaptation to change and
approaches to management. Adaptive management, adaptive
co-management and adaptive governance all focus on learning
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as an integral part of decision making, and base their
strategies on the fact that knowledge is incomplete and that
uncertainty, change and surprise play an important part in
managing social-ecological systems. In adaptive
management, articulating, testing and evaluating alternative
hypotheses of how the system works are crucial tasks.
Adaptive management is therefore all about learning by doing
through testing out alternative management approaches.
Adaptive co-management also focuses on learning by doing
but has a more explicit emphasis on knowledge sharing
between different actors, often from communities and policy-
making. Adaptive governance focuses on boosting learning
through knowledge sharing across scales in order to bridge
various organisations and institutions.
4.5 ENCOURAGE LEARNING 16
 4.6 BROADEN
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PARTICIPATION
Participation through active engagement of all relevant
stakeholders is considered fundamental to building social-
ecological resilience. It helps build the trust and relationships
needed to improve legitimacy of knowledge and authority during
decision making processes.
Broad and well-functioning participation can build trust, create a
shared understanding and uncover perspectives that may not be
acquired through more traditional scientific processes. There are
a range of advantages to a broad and well-functioning
participation. An informed and well-functioning group have the
potential to build trust and a shared understanding – both
fundamental ingredients for collective action.
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Participation can also help strengthen the link between
information gathering and decision-making. For example, in
the Philippines, participatory monitoring of protected reef
areas improved transparency of decisions which, in turn,
enhanced relationships between project stakeholders. It also
improved the comprehension and validity of the information
and how it was used in decision making by local people.
Participation, however, is no panacea. If not undertaken
thoughtfully, it may enhance the influence of some
stakeholders at the expense of others by increasing their
power or influence within the system, resulting in competition
and even conflict.
4.6 BROADEN PARTICIPATION 17
 4.7 PROMOTE
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POLYCENTRIC
GOVERNANCE
Polycentricity, a governance system in which multiple governing
bodies interact to make and enforce rules within a specific policy
arena or location, is considered to be one of the best ways to
achieve collective action in the face of disturbance change.
Collaboration across institutions and scales improves
connectivity and learning across scales and cultures. Well-
connected governance structures can swiftly deal with change
and disturbance because they are addressed by the right people
at the right time. In contrast to more monocentric strategies,
polycentric governance is considered to enhance the resilience
of ecosystem services in six ways, which coincide elegantly with
other principles in this publication: it provides opportunities for
learning and experimentation; it enables broader levels of
participation; it improves connectivity; it creates modularity; it
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improves potential for response diversity, and builds
redundancy that can minimize and correct errors in
governance. Another reason why polycentric governance is
better suited for the governance of social-ecological systems
and ecosystem services is because traditional and local
knowledge stands a much better chance of being considered.
This, in turn, improves sharing of knowledge and learning
across cultures and scales. This is particularly evident in local
and regional water governance, as in watershed
management groups in South Africa or the management of
large-scale irrigation systems in the Philippines, where
polycentric approaches have facilitated participation by a
broad range of actors and incorporation of local, traditional
and scientific knowledge.
4.7 PROMOTE POLYCENTRIC GOVERNANCE 18
REFERENCES
1. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-826-
5409-
5/page002new.html#:~:text=Environmental%20ch
ange%20occurs%20as%20a,quantities%20of%20e
nergy%20and%20materials.
2. https://www.usgs.gov/global-fiducials-library-data-
access-
portal/processes#:~:text=Geologic%20Processes&t
ext=These%20include%3A%20diagenesis%2C%2
0Earthquakes%2C,magnetic%20storms%2C%20an
d%20mass%20wasting.
3. https://sarweb.org/media/files/sar_press_nature_sci
ence_and_religion.pdf
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-
sciences/environmental-history
5. https://www.doe.gov.ph/presidential-decree-no-
1151#:~:text=Right%20to%20a%20Healthy%20E
nvironment,enhancement%20of%20the%20Philipp
ine%20environment.
6. https://applyingresilience.org/en/principle-7/
 SAQ-2-MIDTERM

SUBMITTED BY:

FRANCESCA CONCEPCION
SUBMITTED TO:
Alino
DEAN EDUARDO T. SENAJON
19