ARC 407 Unit-1 Environmental Science

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Ecology and concept of Ecosystem
Environmental deterioration
Environment protection measures –

• Water Conservation,
• Rain Water Harvesting,
• Waste Management,
• Watershed Management,
• Wasteland Reclamation
Environmental Issues.
Concept of sustainable development
S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

ECOLOGY AND CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM

ECOLOGY AND CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ECOLOGY:
Ecology is a derivation from Greek Ecologists are concerned with:

meaning
•Composition,
‘Eco’ – ‘House’, ‘ logy’ – ‘Study of’
•Distribution,
Ecology is the scientific study
of the relations that living •Amount (biomass),
organisms have with respect
to each other and their natural •Number, and
environment.
•Changing states of Organisms
within and among ecosystems
Ecology is a sub-discipline of Biology, the study of life.
The word "ecology“ was coined in 1866 by the German scientist Ernst
Haeckel (1834–1919)

Ecologists seek to explain the following:
• Life processes and Adaptations
• Distribution and abundance of organisms
• The movement of materials and energy through living communities
• The Successional development of Ecosystems, and
• The Abundance and Distribution of Biodiversity in context of the

environment.
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology
ECOSYSTEM:
An ecosystem consists of the biological community that occurs in some

locale, and hence share the physical air, soil, water and sunlight and
chemical factors that make up its non-living or abiotic environment.
There are many examples of ecosystems –
• A Pond or Freshwater Ecosystem,
• A Forest Ecosystem,
• An Estuary Ecosystem,
• A Grassland Ecosystem

ECOSYSTEM:

POND OR FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM:
POND - A living ecosystem
Is a balance of fish, plants, and beneficial

bacteria that compliment and support each
other.
THE CYCLE
A fish in a pond eat the plants and algae that
grow on the various surfaces in the pond.
The fish produce wastes, which settle into the

bottom of the pond, where they are broken
down by beneficial aerobic bacteria. The
bacteria provide nutrients for the pond's
plants, which feed the fish, and so the cycle
continues.

Creating a POND-ECOSYSTEM:
1. A Circulation System:
The proper size pump and pipe diameter are
extremely important for the aesthetics of a
water feature.
An efficient circulation system keeps the

water moving and provides the necessary
oxygen levels for healthy fish and plants.
Circulation System
2. A Filtration System:
A biological and a mechanical filter is necessary.
A biological filter provides surface area for beneficial

bacteria to colonize and remove excess nutrients
from the water.
A mechanical filter will not only pre-filter the water

and house the pump; it will also skim debris from the
water’s surface to prevent the accumulation of
organic materials on the pond floor.
Biological Filter
3. Fish:
Fishes are an integral part of this- ecosystem. Fish will

actually reduce pond maintenance, as they graze on
string algae and bottom feed from the pond floor.
Koi Fish a popular choice is rendered as a Ornamental

Fish
Koi Fish
4. Aquatic Plants:
Aquatic Plants true filters.
Plants are great for adding character to a

pond by providing color and texture.
The aquatic plants in a water garden, given

proper coverage, and are critical for the
overall health of the ecosystem
Edge Aquatic Plants - Typha
5. Rock, Gravels & Bacterias:
Rocks and gravel will make your pond look more

natural, they will also protect pond liners from UV light
degradation and
They provide tremendous surface area for beneficial

bacteria to break down excess nutrients in the water
and dissolved organic debris on the pond floor.
Rock & Gravels

FOREST ECOSYSTEM:
A forest ecosystem
typically is associated with
land masses covered in
trees and those trees are
often classified into forest
cover types.
A forest is a system that

supports interacting units
including trees, soil,
insects, animals, and
man.

TROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEM:
The macro and

microclimate in a
tropical rainforest
is created based
on the coherent
factors.
TROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEM:
Three Storey Plants in Tropical Rain Forest Affect the height.
The character of each of the storey is unique and needs to be considered while designing.
ESTUARY ECOSYSTEM:
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal
body of water with one or more rivers or
streams flowing into it to the open sea.
In addition to providing economic, cultural

and ecological benefits to communities,
estuaries deliver invaluable ecosystem
services, they are water filtration and
habitat protection.
Estuaries are some of the most fertile

ecosystems on Earth, yet they may also
be some of the most polluted.
Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands

are also buffer zones. They stabilize
Mangrove Edge
shorelines and protect coastal areas,
inland habitats and human communities Estuarine habitats also protect from
from floods and storm surges from excessive erosion caused by wind,
hurricanes. water and ice.
ESTUARY ECOSYSTEM:
Estuary Ecosystem
GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM:
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by
grasses and other herbaceous (non-woody) plant.
Grassland Ecosystems are influenced overtime by:

• Local Climate
• Plants
• Variation in local landscape
• Distribution such as fire and floods
• The organisms that live in them
Food Pyramid at Grassland

The parent material is often
composed of fine sediments, and
grasslands are most often in
valley or plateau landscapes. The
organisms that live in them include
plants and animals that have
adapted to the dry climatic
Grassland Ecosystem conditions in a variety of ways.
CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM:
Ecological Balance:
Ecosystems are regularly confronted with These disturbances create places of

natural environmental variations and renewal where new directions emerge out
disturbances over time and geographic of the patchwork of natural
space. A disturbance is any process that experimentation and opportunity.
removes living biomass from a community,
such as a fire, flood, drought, or predation.
Disturbances, such as fire, are both

cause and product of natural
fluctuations in death rates, species
assemblages, and biomass densities
within an ecological community.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through

depletion of resources such as:
• Air,
• Water and
• Soil;
The destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.
It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be

undesirable.


IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION:
The degradation also impacts our:
• Wildlife
• Plants
• Animals
• Micro-organisms

Bio Diversity:
The major issue regarding bio-diversity are:
•Species extinction
•Depletion of genetic diversity
Biodiversity actually boosts ecosystem productivity, where every organism,

small and big have important role to play and that it is this combination that
enables the ecosystem to posses the ability to prevent and recover from a variety
of disaster.
Species depend on each other for an ecosystem to be stable. Extinction of some

species diminishes the well being of the remaining species, including human
beings.
Loss of forest,
Climate change
Pollutions
Are some of the reasons for the bio-diversity being endangered.
Global & National Environmental Issues

Climate Change and Global Warming:

This is considered as an environmental issue as it leads to:
•Extreme weather
•Rising sea levels
•Increase in pests and diseases
•Failing agricultural outputs and increase in world hunger
•Ecosystem impacts
Climate change and global warming is caused by

•Excess production of green house gas effect
•Depletion of ozone layers
Climate change and warming have been suggested to be tackled by using

‘Carbon Sinks’. Planting new forests have been suggested. But this can be a quick fix
as it does not tackle the actual problem effectively.

Acid Rain:
A condition in which natural precipitation becomes acidic after reacting chemically
with pollutants in the air.
Desertification:
Desertification is a slow process in which land productivity and resilience decline
steadily. It is caused by overgrazing, deforestation and unsustainable agricultural
practices as the major causes of desertification.
Deforestation:
Forest plays pivotal role in balancing the ecosystem. Urbanization, industrialization
and ruthless exploitation of forests has created chaotic conditions and severe
phyto-geographical and environmental imbalances.
Hazardous Waste Trade:

1/5 of the total annual global trade waste gores from industrialized countries to
developing countries. The only attraction of developing countries has been the low
cost.

El Nino:
Climatologically, event known as El Nino is a periodic rise in temperature of the
Eastern Pacific, around Peru and Galapagos Islands resulting in heavy rain in the
Eastern Pacific and unusual dryness in Southern Africa and Central and Southern
America.
Human Population:
•Population and the feeding world
•Stress on the environment, society and resources
•Effects of over-consumption and increasing populations.
•Gender and population issues
Genetically Engineered Food:

•Young and untested technology
•Expensive technology
•Food shortage is a political and economic problem
•Patenting laws go against the poor
•Are GE foods safe

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MEASURES

•Water Conservation
•Rain Water Harvesting
•Solid Waste Management
•Watershed Management
•Wasteland Reclamation

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MEASURES ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WATER CONSERVATION

WATER CONSERVATION
Water is not only vital for human survival, it India is in water crisis despite its relatively
is also essential for sustainable biomass high average rainfall.
based economy.
Water harvesting can offer a solution.
Although India has made substantial
investments in an effort to exploit river and If 5-10% of the land were used for
groundwater resources to service large- rainwater collection there would be
scale irrigation systems and urban water enough water for irrigation and
supplies, these systems have rarely household needs.
reached the rural poor.
Recent initiatives, both at community and
Often large-scale water developments government level, have made use of long
have led to inefficient and inequitable neglected water harvesting traditions.
distribution of water resources and to
forced re-settlement. The results show that reviving water
harvesting systems stimulate rural
development and restores local
ecosystems.

RAIN WATER HARVESTING

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

AMERICANS ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING A HOPPING 220
MILLION TONS OF WASTE A YEAR.
Because of this fact both the government and environmental associations have

developed numerous methods of dealing with the problem.
Waste management is that solution, a rather complex issue that encompasses more
than 20 different industries. Waste management is collection, transportation, and
disposal of garbage, sewage and other waste products -
There are various types of solid waste including

• Municipal (Residential, Institutional, Commercial),
• Agricultural, and
• Special (Health Care, Household Hazardous Wastes, Sewage Sludge).
The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is
generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or
aesthetics.

There is a wide array of issues relating to waste management and those areas
include:
•Generation of waste • Treatment
•Waste minimization • Landfill disposal
•Waste removal • Environmental considerations
•Waste transportation • Financial and marketing aspects
•Waste treatment • Policy and regulations
•Recycling and reuse • Education and training
•Storage, collection, transport, and transfer • Planning and implementation.
Waste management practices are not uniform among: countries (developed and
developing nations); regions (urban and rural area), and sectors (residential and
industrial)

Waste management involves the following procedure:
• Generation,
• Prevention,
• Characterization,
• Monitoring,
• Treatment,
• Handling,
• Reuse And
• Residual Disposition of Solid Wastes

METHODS OF DISPOSAL
• Landfill
• Incineration
• Recycling

Landfill Adverse Effects On Environment such as
The most common procedure used to • Attracting pests,
dispose waste material is landfills as it is • Bugs,
inexpensive and an effective way to • Insects and
manage wastes. • Mosquitoes,
• Generating liquid leachate and
Normally, landfills are established in • Producing methane and carbon
• Quarries, dioxide gas resulting in greenhouse
• Borrow pits or effect.
• Mining voids where the waste
materials are buried. Prevention Methods to minimize the
effects, landfills
• Use clay or plastic material to
prevent liquid leachate and
• The land is completely covered to

prevent the attraction of pests, bugs
and mosquitoes.
• Gas is pumped out using perforated

pipes to minimize the greenhouse
effect

Incineration This procedure is adopted by both large
This procedure is adopted to dispose solid scale industries as well as individuals on
organic wastes. small scale in order to dispose the solid
waste materials.
The solid wastes are
• Buried and This procedure is very effective in order to
• Converted into residue and dispose hazardous waste materials
• Gaseous products. such as biological and medical waste.
This procedure is helpful to decrease the By burning the solid waste, the furnace
volume of solid waste by 20 to 30 or boiler generates sufficient amount of
percent. heat or electricity which is used for
industrial purpose.
This procedure is also described as
“thermal treatment” where the solid Adverse effect on Environment
waste is converted into heat, gas, steam However, incineration is a controversial
and ash. method of disposing waste as it releases
gaseous pollutants to the atmosphere

Incineration is used in countries

where landfill space is no
longer available, which
includes Japan.

Recycling Recycling is the third component of Reduce,
Resource recovery is the process of Reuse and Recycle waste hierarchy.
taking useful discarded items for a
specific next use. The idea behind recycling is to
• Reduce energy usage,
These discarded items are then • Reduce volume of landfills,
processed to • Reduce air and water pollution,
• Extract or recover materials • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and resources or • Preserve natural resources for
• Convert them to energy in the future use
form of useable heat,
electricity or fuel.
RECYCLING CONVERTS
WASTE PRODUCTS INTO NEW
PRODUCTS TO PREVENT
ENERGY USAGE AND
CONSUMPTION OF FRESH
RAW MATERIALS.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

What is a watershed ?
Watershed is not simply the

hydrological unit but also
Socio-Political-Ecological Entity
Watershed plays crucial role in

determining
• Food security
• Social security
• Economical security
and
• Provides life support
services to rural
people. PRINCIPLES FOR WATERSHED MANGEMENT
OBJECTIVES FOR WATERSHED MANGEMENT

Watershed management is an • Watershed management serves to
integrate planning for land and water;
• Adaptive,
• Comprehensive, • it takes into account both
• Integrated multi-resource • ground and surface water flow,
management
WM recognizes and plans for the interaction
• Planning process
of
that seeks to balance
• Water,
• Healthy Ecological,
• Economic, And • Plants,
• Cultural/Social Conditions • Animals and
within a watershed. • Human land use
found within the boundaries of a watershed.

Watershed management provides a framework for integrated decision-
making to help:
•Assess the nature and status of the watershed;
•Identify watershed issues;
•Define and re-evaluate short and long-term objectives, actions and

goals;
•Assess benefits and costs; and
•Implement and evaluate actions. -

Why are watersheds important?
Watersheds are important because the surface water features and stormwater runoff
within a watershed ultimately drain to other bodies of water.
It is essential to consider these downstream impacts when developing and
implementing water quality protection and restoration actions.
Everything upstream ends up downstream. We need to remember our everyday
activities can affect downstream waters
BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY WATERSHED
• Ecological Health
• Economical health
• Human Health
ECOLOGICAL HEALTH:
A healthy watershed functions as a
complete ecological system promoting
the health of all living organisms and
landscapes within the watershed.
A healthy, intact watershed minimizes

the impacts of
• Flooding and erosion and
• Serves to filter sediments and
• Contaminants so they do not reach
our streams, lakes, and
groundwater.

ECONOMIC HEALTH: HUMAN HEALTH:
An abundant supply of clean water is Life requires a safe daily supply of water.
essential for a vibrant economy.
But water is far more than that:
Homes, farms, municipalities and clean surface and ground water is
businesses all need an ample supply of essential to support our high quality of life
clean water to operate effectively. and the social aspects of our communities.
Clean water allows municipalities, Clean rivers, lakes and streams provide
businesses, agricultural producers, and many healthy recreational opportunities
industries to operate more cost effectively, including swimming, boating, and fishing.
saving money for taxpayers and
consumers.
Healthy rivers, lakes, wetlands and

natural spaces are foundations for
recreation and tourism

WASTELAND RECLAMATION

Barren or overgrown, uncultivatable or uncultivated, desolate,
devastated, ruined, uninteresting, unused, bleak, or neglected
land, for example a desert or barren (area with barren
vegetation). Wikipedia
What precisely are wastelands? Bhumbla & Khare (1984) have defined them as “those
lands
(a)Which are ecologically unstable ,
(b)Whose top soil is completely lost, and
(c)Which have developed toxicity in root zones for growth of most plants, both
annual crop and trees.”
Land is a precious resource, since it is put to diverse use by man.

India with a land area 32, 88000 km- which is about 2.4% of the world
supports 15% of the world's population. The precipitate land resource
available now in India is less than 0.4 hectares, in comparison to more
than 0.9 hectares in China

CAUSES OF LAND DEGRADATION:
The four main reasons of land degradation are
(a) Over cultivation
(b) Deforestation
(c) Overgrazing and
(d) Improper Irrigation.

MEASURES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL
Grand Total: 638518.31 sq.kms SCIENCES
Categories of Wastelands in India
Area
Category
(in sq.Kms.)
Snow Covered/Glacial 55788.49
Barren Rocky/Sheet Rock 64584.77
Sands-inland/coastal 50021.65
Land affected by salinity/alkalinity 20477.38
Gullied/or ravenous land 20553.35
Upland with or without scrub 194014.29
Water logged & Marshy 16568.45
Steep sloping area 7656.29
Shifting cultivation land 35142.20
Mining/Industrial Wastelands 1252.13
Degraded/pastures/grazing land 25978.91
Under utilized/degraded notified forest land 140652.31
Degraded land under plantation crop 5828.09
WAYS TO RECLAIM WASTELAND:
Reclamation of waste land means re-

claiming it or to use it for productive
purposes.
1.Afforestation:
It means growing the forest over
culturable wasteland.
2. Reforestation:
Growing the forest again over the lands
where they were existing and was destroyed
due to fires, overgrazing, and excessive
cutting. Reforestation checks water logging,
floods, soil erosion and increase productivity
of land.
3. Providing surface cover:

The easiest way to protect the land surface
from soil erosion is of leave crop residue on
the land after harvesting.
4. Mulching:
Here also protective cover of organic
matter and plants like stalks, cotton stalks,
tobacco stalks etc. are used which reduce
evaporation, help in retaining soil moisture
and reduce soil erosion.
5. Leaching:
In salt affected land, the salinity can be 6. Changing agricultural practices:
minimized by leaching them with more Like mixed cropping, crop rotation and
water. cropping of plants are adopted to improve
soil fertility.

7. Ecological Succession: 8. Changing Ground Topography on
Natural development or redevelopment of Downhill’s:
an ecosystem which help in reclaiming Running water erodes the hill soil and
the minerals deficient soil of wasteland carries the soil along with it. This can be
minimized by following alternation in
ground topography:
a) Strip farming:
Different kinds of crops are planted in
alternate strip along the contour.
(b) Terracing:
In this arrangement, the earth is shaped in
the form of levelled terraces to hold soil
and water. The terrace edges are planted
with such plant species which anchor the
soil.
(c) Contour ploughing:

In this arrangement, the ploughing of land
is done across the hill and not in up and
down style.
S.R.M UNIVERSITY .
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Causes : Mitigation:
• Human overpopulation Conservation
• Hydrology • Ecosystems
• Land use • Forests
• Nanotechnology • Natural Resources
• Nuclear issues • Species
Environmental law
Effects:
• Climate change
• Environmental Degradation
• Environmental Health
• Environmental issues with Energy
• Overpopulation
• Genetic engineering
• Pollution
• Consumerism
• Resource Depletion
• Toxicant
• Waste
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_issues
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in its
1987 report Our Common Future defines sustainable development:
"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Non-Renewable Renewable
On the basis of reproducibility

Natural Biotic
RESOURCES
On the basis of Origin On the basis of nature
Man-made Abiotic
On the basis of exhaustibility
Inexhaustible Exhaustible

INTRODUCTION
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED

ROBERTO BURLE MARX
LAWRENCE HALPRIN
GEOFFREY ALAN JELLICOE
PETER WALKER Philosophy
PRABHAKAR BHAGWAT Influences in Design
HARGREAVES ASSOCIATES Style of Design
PETER COLLINS
Projects

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Ecology and concept of Ecosystem

Environment protection measures –

Concept of sustainable development

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

ECOLOGY AND CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Ecology is a derivation from Greek Ecologists are concerned with:

Ecology is a sub-discipline of Biology, the study of life.

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Ecologists seek to explain the following:

• Life processes and Adaptations

• Distribution and abundance of organisms

• The movement of materials and energy through living communities

• The Successional development of Ecosystems, and

• The Abundance and Distribution of Biodiversity in context of the

An ecosystem consists of the biological community that occurs in some

There are many examples of ecosystems –

• A Pond or Freshwater Ecosystem,

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Is a balance of fish, plants, and beneficial

The fish produce wastes, which settle into the

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

An efficient circulation system keeps the

A biological filter provides surface area for beneficial

A mechanical filter will not only pre-filter the water

Fishes are an integral part of this- ecosystem. Fish will

Koi Fish a popular choice is rendered as a Ornamental

Aquatic Plants true filters.

Plants are great for adding character to a

The aquatic plants in a water garden, given

Rocks and gravel will make your pond look more

They provide tremendous surface area for beneficial

Rock & Gravels

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

A forest is a system that

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

The macro and

Three Storey Plants in Tropical Rain Forest Affect the height.

In addition to providing economic, cultural

Estuaries are some of the most fertile

Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands

Grassland Ecosystems are influenced overtime by:

Food Pyramid at Grassland

Ecosystems are regularly confronted with These disturbances create places of

Disturbances, such as fire, are both

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through

The destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.

It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

S.R.M UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Biodiversity actually boosts ecosystem productivity, where every organism,

Species depend on each other for an ecosystem to be stable. Extinction of some

Global & National Environmental Issues

Climate Change and Global Warming:

Climate change and global warming is caused by

Climate change and warming have been suggested to be tackled by using

Global & National Environmental Issues

Hazardous Waste Trade: